A former Army sergeant who once held top secret clearance at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison for attempting to provide national defense information to China.

Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 31, pleaded guilty in June to attempting to deliver and retain classified material, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). US District Judge John C. Coughenour also ordered three years of supervised release.

Schmidt’s sentencing comes as US authorities warn of growing efforts by China to recruit or exploit former military personnel with access to sensitive information.

“As a retired Army officer, I find it unconscionable for a former soldier to put his colleagues and country at risk by peddling secret information and intelligence access

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