A former employee of United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has been identified as the individual arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegedly leaking classified Pentagon information. Courtney Williams, 40, a former civilian support technician with a U.S. Army Special Military Unit, was taken into custody and later indicted by a federal grand jury in North Carolina on charges tied to the unauthorized transmission of national defense information.
Prosecutors allege that Williams disclosed sensitive material marked “SECRET,” including tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), to a journalist who was not authorized to receive it. According to court documents, some of that information later appeared in published reporting and a book. The charges were filed under the Espionage Act, which governs the handling and protection of national defense information.
Williams previously worked with the unit from 2010 to 2016 and held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance, giving her access to highly classified material. After leaving that role, she moved into a position that no longer required such access. Investigators say that between 2022 and 2025, she communicated extensively with a journalist—identified in reports as Seth Harp—through calls and messages, allegedly sharing documents, notes, and other materials containing restricted information.
Authorities say Williams acknowledged concerns about the sensitivity of the disclosures in private messages, including statements suggesting she feared potential legal consequences. She appeared in federal court in Raleigh, where a judge ordered her temporarily detained pending a hearing. As the case moves forward, it is expected to raise broader questions about information security and the handling of classified materials by former government personnel.