Federal prosecutors say a former Army employee with a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance faces charges after allegedly sharing classified national defense information with a journalist over a multi-year period, including more than 10 hours of calls and over 180 text messages between 2022 and 2025.

Courtney Williams, a 40-year-old North Carolina resident who previously supported a Special Military Unit of the Army, was arrested after investigators say she continued communicating with a journalist about the unit long after her service ended. Prosecutors emphasize she had Top Secret/SCI clearance, received training on handling classified material, and signed a Classified Nondisclosure Agreement during her time with the unit from 2010 to 2016.

The Department of Justice described a sustained pattern of contact that allegedly included lengthy phone conversations, a high volume of messaging, and unauthorized posts to Williams’s social media accounts. The journalist ultimately published an article and a book that named Williams as a source and attributed statements to her, some of which prosecutors allege were classified.

Prosecutors point to messages in which Williams herself acknowledged the risks and the rules she’d been taught, including explicit references to legal exposure and the classification system. She reportedly warned others she was “concerned about the amount of classified information being disclosed” and stated she “might actually get arrested… for disclosing classified information.”

“As alleged, between 2022 and 2025, Williams repeatedly communicated with the Journalist via telephone and text messages. During this period, Williams and the Journalist had over 10 hours of telephone calls and exchanged more than 180 messages. In one such message, the Journalist identified themselves as a journalist and stated that they sought information about the SMU in support of an upcoming article and book. After these communications with Williams, the Journalist published a book and article that named Williams as a source and attributed specific statements to her. Some of these statements contained classified national defense information.”

Those messages are central to the case because they suggest intent and awareness rather than a mistaken slip. In follow-up texts, Williams reportedly referenced the rules “I have known my entire career” and said “they tell you everyday… 100 times a day.” She allegedly cited a provision of the Espionage Act and warned she was “probably going to jail for life.”

Media reporting indicates the named source appears in a 2025 book titled “The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces” by Seth Harp, along with a related magazine article published August 12 that also named Williams. The DOJ filing itself did not identify the journalist, leaving that connection a matter for the record as the case moves forward in court.

The alleged unauthorized disclosures via social media add another dimension to the charges, suggesting multiple channels were used beyond the direct journalist contact. Prosecutors have not publicly detailed the exact classified material at issue or the extent of potential damage to military operations or personnel, which is typical in sensitive national defense cases.

Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, issued a blunt statement framing the arrest as a betrayal of an oath to protect secrets. He tied the alleged misconduct directly to risks for service members, allies, and operations tied to highly sensitive units.

“Courtney Williams swore an oath to safeguard our nation’s secrets as an employee supporting a Special Military Unit of the Army, but she allegedly betrayed that oath by sharing classified information with a media outlet and putting our nation, our warfighters, and our allies at risk.”

FBI leadership under Director Kash Patel emphasized the bureau’s renewed focus on leak investigations and accountability. Patel praised the field offices and partners involved in the arrest, framing the enforcement action as part of a broader return to core law enforcement priorities rather than selective, politicized targeting.

“Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way.”

Open questions remain about the specific counts charged, the court where the case will be prosecuted, and the exact nature of the classified information allegedly disclosed. Those details are often withheld initially to protect ongoing investigations and sensitive information, so they may emerge only as the case progresses.

The arrest tests whether past patterns of handling leaks will change under current leadership, and whether prosecutions will follow where investigators find clear evidence of knowing disclosures. For now, the case centers on alleged choices Williams made while acknowledging the rules and risks tied to her clearance and prior duties.