A federal grand jury has indicted a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence analyst on charges that he transmitted classified national defense information to unauthorized individuals, including someone believed to be located in China.
Seth Chambers, 35, was indicted March 13 on two counts of willful transmission of national defense information, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors say Chambers previously served as a Marine Corps intelligence analyst before later working as a civilian contractor in Iraq during the time period covered by the allegations. In that role, Chambers reportedly held a security clearance granting him access to highly sensitive classified material, including information classified up to the “top secret” level.
According to court documents, Chambers is accused of intentionally transmitting documents containing “secret” level national defense information on two separate occasions to individuals not authorized to receive the material.
CASE UPDATE from @FBIKansasCity: Former U.S. Marine Corps Intelligence Analyst Charged With Willful Transmission of National Defense Information
Seth Chambers, 35, a former United States Marine Corps. Intelligence Analyst, was employed as a civilian contractor and stationed in… pic.twitter.com/asaFQ5NbX7
— FBI (@FBI) March 16, 2026
The first alleged incident occurred on December 10, 2022. Prosecutors say Chambers sent a white paper containing verbatim and near-verbatim information taken from classified U.S. government records to an individual located in Maryland.
The second alleged transmission took place on April 20, 2023. In that instance, Chambers allegedly sent a document containing similar verbatim and near-verbatim excerpts from classified records to a person investigators believe was located in China.
Authorities have not publicly identified the recipients or detailed their relationship with Chambers, but prosecutors say neither individual was authorized to access classified national defense information.
The indictment was initially returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Missouri. Officials made the charges public after Chambers was arrested and appeared before a judge for the first time.
If convicted on both counts, Chambers could face a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison for each charge.
The case is the latest in a series of high-profile prosecutions involving alleged leaks or espionage related to U.S. national security information.
In one recent case, former U.S. Navy sailor Jinchao “Patrick” Wei was sentenced to more than 16 years in prison after admitting to providing sensitive national defense information to an intelligence officer associated with the People’s Republic of China.
Separately, in 2024, Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, pleaded guilty to leaking classified U.S. military documents online, according to reporting by The New York Times.
