A grand jury indicted a former U.S. Marine on March 13 for allegedly sending classified information to someone suspected of living in China.
Seth Chambers, 35, faces two counts of willful transmission of national defense information, according to a U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) press release. Chambers, a former Marine Corps intelligence analyst, worked as a civilian contractor in Iraq during the time period alleged in by authorities. Chambers held a security clearance that gave him access to classified material up to “top secret,” including national defense information, the DOJ said.
Chambers intentionally transmitted “secret” level documents on two occasions to two individuals who were not supposed to receive such information, court documents alleged. The first instance allegedly took place on Dec. 10, 2022 when Chambers allegedly sent a white paper containing verbatim and almost verbatim information from classified U.S. government records to someone in Maryland. (RELATED: ‘Strong Odor’ Causes All Flights To Stop At 3 Major Airports Near DC)
The second allegedly took place on April 20, 2023 when Chambers allegedly sent a document containing verbatim and near verbatim information from classified U.S. government records to some suspected of being in China.
CASE UPDATE from @FBIKansasCity: Former U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Analyst Charged With Willful Transmission of National Defense Information
Seth Chambers, 35, a former United States Marine Corps. Intelligence Analyst, was employed as a civilian contractor and stationed in… pic.twitter.com/asaFQ5NbX7
— FBI (@FBI) March 16, 2026
Officials made the indictment public March 13 after it was returned by a Springfield, Missouri grand jury under seal and Chambers was apprehended and appeared before a judge for the first time, the DOJ said. Chambers faces up to 10 years behind bars without parole on each charge if found guilty.
This is not the first time a former member of the U.S. military has faced charges for allegedly sharing national defense information.
A judge sentenced former U.S. Navy sailor Jinchao “Patrick” Wei to more than 16 years behind bars for espionage after he was accused of selling national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of China. In 2024, Jack Teixeira, a former Massachusetts Air National Guard member, pleaded guilty to leaking classified documents online, according to The New York Times.