On Tuesday, Courtney Williams, a 40-year-old U.S. Army Special Operations Command veteran, was arrested for violating the Espionage Act.
Williams faces federal charges for communicating and transmitting national classified defense information. According to court records, she worked for the Army between 2010 and 2016 after serving as a contractor and previously enlisting. She held a top secret security clearance and left in 2016 following an internal investigation that suspended her access to classified information.
The complaint alleges Williams provided sensitive details, including classified Delta Force tactics and procedures, to journalist Seth Harp for his book “The Fort Bragg Cartel” and an associated article. The book, released in August 2025, details alleged sexual harassment and gender discrimination during Williams’ eight years with the elite counterterrorism unit.
Federal authorities state that Williams exchanged at least 180 text messages and spent over 10 hours on the phone with Seth Harp between 2022 and 2024. The complaint indicates she saved documents on her computer with file names such as “Batch 1 for Reporter” and provided at least ten batches of materials, some of which contained classified information.
An FBI affidavit states that Williams expressed concern about the amount of classified information being disclosed in the book and texted her mother expressing fear of arrest. She reportedly said she might “get arrested … for disclosing classified information” and even feared “going to jail for life.”
The Justice Department alleges that the information provided by Williams, which was determined by officials to be properly classified as SECRET, included specific tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by the Special Military Unit.
Following her arrest, FBI Director Kash Patel issued a statement warning leakers: “FBI and our partners have arrested a former SOCOM employee, who supported our top-level military warfighters, for allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.”