JUST IN: Kash Patel’s FBI Arrests Three For Alleged Treason

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday announced that three U.S. service members have been arrested and charged with treason, a significant win for new Director Kash Patel after less than two weeks on the job.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Justice said that two active-duty U.S. Army soldiers and a veteran were in the process of attempting to sell national defense intelligence to Chinese agents when they were arrested.

“Jian Zhao, and Li Tian, active-duty U.S. Army soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, along with Ruoyu Duan, a former U.S. Army soldier, were arrested today following indictments by federal grand juries in the District of Oregon and the Western District of Washington,” the DOJ said in a Thursday press release.

Tian and Duan each face counts of bribery and theft of government property in addition to their treason charges. Zhao also faces a charge of conspiracy to transmit national defense information to someone not authorized to have it.

“The defendants arrested today are accused of betraying our country, actively working to weaken America’s defense capabilities and empowering our adversaries in China,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “They will face swift, severe, and comprehensive justice.”

The three arrestees will face “American justice,” Director Kash Patel wrote on X.

“These individuals have been charged with stealing America’s defense intelligence capabilities and empowering adversaries like China in betrayal of our country,” he said.

He added in a DOJ press release:

“While bribery and corruption have thrived under China’s Communist Party, this behavior cannot be tolerated with our service members who are entrusted with sensitive military information, including national defense information. The FBI and our partners will continue to work to uncover attempts by those in China to steal sensitive U.S. military information and hold all accountable who play a role in betraying our national defense. The FBI would like to thank U.S. Army Counterintelligence for their close partnership during this investigation.”

According to an indictment in the Western District of Washington, Zhao began planning to transmit national intelligence secrets to individuals based in China in July 2024. Much of the information was contained on several hard drives labeled “SECRET” and “TOP SECRET” and was sold by Zhao for approximately $10,000.

In addition, the active-duty Army soldier is alleged to have sold his Chinese contacts information on the U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and information related to U.S. military readiness in the event of a conflict with China. He received a total of $15,000 for his alleged participation in the crimes.

Federal treason charges can carry the death penalty or a minimum of five years in prison and a fine of $10,000 or more.

Patel is now in his second week on the job after breezing through U.S. Senate confirmation. The America First Trump ally and former national intelligence official has promised to clean house at the Bureau as he seeks to dismantle a “weaponized” deep state of bureaucrats who investigated and charged Trump on his way to a second term in the White House.