The Justice Department announced the arrest of a former Army employee for her “alleged transmission of classified national defense information to individuals not authorized to receive it.” The FBI arrested Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina. Williams allegedly leaked classified information to a journalist. More below: HOLY CRAP! The FBI has arrested former US Special Operations and DELTA FORCE veteran Courtney Williams for violating the ESPIONAGE ACT DOJ says she transmitted classified national defense intel to the media and put our warfighters at risk This sends a message to leakers!… pic.twitter.com/jOPWGIwYug — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 8, 2026 CNN shared further: Courtney Williams worked in a Special Military Unit from 2010 to 2016 and had top secret clearance with access to a significant amount of classified material, charging documents say. Federal prosecutors allege that from 2022 to 2025, Williams shared classified information that the journalist used in reporting for an article and book on Fort Bragg. While court records do not name the journalist, a book “The Fort Bragg Cartel” and magazine article from independent reporter Seth Harp last year, profiles Williams and her allegations of harassment and abuse while employed at Fort Bragg. With scant details, charging documents allege that information shared by Williams to the reporter included classified information she was not allowed to provide. CNN is attempting to contact Williams’ attorney. Harp’s article details the significant sexual and race-based harassment Williams says she saw and, at times, experienced during her work at the North Carolina army base. “Clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect the classified information entrusted to them,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “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,” Eisenberg continued. “We trust our war fighting individuals to cooperate as a team to protect our military and country,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina Ellis Boyle. “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,” Boyle added. In a statement, Harp called Williams a “brave and patriotic truth-teller who has committed no crime.” Statement on the arrest of Courtney Williams, a brave and patriotic truth-teller who has committed no crime and, if there is any justice in the world, will soon be free from the clutches of Trump's rogue DOJ pic.twitter.com/NZblU0xmwb — Seth Harp (@sethharpesq) April 8, 2026 More from the Justice Department: 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. In addition to her disclosures to the Journalist, Williams also made unauthorized disclosures of national defense information via her social media accounts. On the day the article and book were published, Williams exchanged several messages with the Journalist. In one such message, Williams stated that she was “concerned about the amount of classified information being disclosed.” In a separate message to a third party, Williams added that, “I might actually get arrested . . . for disclosing classified information.” In a subsequent message, Williams citied a statutory provision of the Espionage Act. And when asked how she knew that she may face legal consequences for her disclosures to the Journalist, Williams responded, “I have known my entire career,” adding that “they tell you everyday . . . 100 times a day.” Finally, in a message to a different third party, Williams stated that she was “probably going to jail for life.”