A North Carolina woman with a top secret security clearance has been arrested and indicted on federal charges after allegedly sharing classified national defense information with a journalist over a period of several years.
Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina. She faces charges under the Espionage Act for allegedly transmitting classified national defense information to individuals not authorized to receive it.
Williams worked for a Special Military Unit of the Army from 2010 to 2016 and held a Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance during that time. As part of that role, she received training on the handling and safeguarding of classified material and signed a nondisclosure agreement acknowledging that unauthorized disclosure of classified information could constitute a criminal offense.
According to court documents, Williams communicated repeatedly with a journalist between 2022 and 2025, logging more than 10 hours of phone calls and exchanging more than 180 messages. The journalist identified themselves as working on an upcoming article and book about the Special Military Unit. After those exchanges, the journalist published both a book and an article that named Williams as a source and attributed specific statements to her, some of which contained classified national defense information.
Court documents indicate Williams appeared aware of the potential legal consequences of her actions. On the day the article and book were published, Williams told the journalist she was concerned about the volume of classified information being disclosed. In a message to a third party, she said she might actually get arrested for disclosing classified information and cited a provision of the Espionage Act. When asked how she knew she might face legal consequences, Williams reportedly said she had known her entire career, adding that warnings were given constantly throughout her time in the role. In a separate message, she told another third party she was probably going to jail for life.
Prosecutors also allege Williams made additional unauthorized disclosures of national defense information through her personal social media accounts.
John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect classified information and that the National Security Division will act swiftly when that trust is violated. U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina said the office will pursue criminal charges whenever it finds leakers placing their own interests above the safety of the United States.
FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky, who oversees the Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, said the indictment should serve as a stark warning to all current and former clearance holders considering unauthorized disclosures.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Charlotte Field Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Logan Liles along with trial attorneys from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
Williams is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.v
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