Federal authorities arrested and charged a former military support employee on Tuesday, accusing her of knowingly funneling classified information to a journalist over a period of years.

Agents arrested 40-year-old Courtney Williams of Wagram, N.C. A federal grand jury later indicted her for violating the Espionage Act after transmitting sensitive national defense information to unauthorized recipients, according to the press release. Prosecutors say Williams, who once held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance, disclosed protected material despite repeated training and explicit legal warnings.

Williams worked with a Special Military Unit from 2010 to 2016, where she had daily access to highly classified operations, tactics, and intelligence, according to court filings. As part of her role, she signed a nondisclosure agreement acknowledging that any unauthorized release of such material could trigger criminal prosecution.

Investigators allege that between 2022 and 2025, Williams maintained sustained contact with a journalist, exchanging more than 180 messages and logging over 10 hours of phone conversations. In those communications, prosecutors say, she shared details that later appeared in published reporting and a book—some of which contained classified national defense information. The journalist identified Williams as a source and attributed statements directly to her.

FBI and our partners have arrested a former SOCOM employee, who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.

Outstanding work by @FBICharlotte and the FBI Counterintelligence & Espionage Division…

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) April 8, 2026

Authorities also allege that Williams compounded the breach by posting sensitive information on social media. Senior national security officials said the case is a stark example of insider risk.

“Clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect the classified information entrusted to them,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said. “That they do so is critical to the security of our Nation. When clearance holders violate that trust, the National Security Division will act swiftly to hold them accountable.”

“We trust our war-fighting individuals to cooperate as a team to protect our military and country,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Ellis Boyle said. “We will pursue criminal charges to keep these warriors safe whenever we find leakers exalting their own feelings over the safety of the United States.”

FBI counterintelligence officials accused Williams of betraying her oath and endangering American personnel and allies. The case also includes evidence suggesting Williams understood the legal jeopardy she faced. On the day the journalist’s work was published, she allegedly expressed concern about “the amount of classified information being disclosed.”

In other messages cited by prosecutors, she acknowledged the possibility of arrest, referenced the Espionage Act, and admitted she had long understood the consequences of leaking classified material.

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