In a significant press release issued on Thursday, March 6, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice (DOJ) declared that the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Kash Patel’s FBI had apprehended three U.S. soldiers, two of whom are currently on active duty, on charges related to treason and theft of national property.

The statement began by identifying the three accused individuals, stating, “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. Tian and Duan faced charges in the District of Oregon for conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property. Zhao was charged in the Western District of Washington for conspiring to obtain and transmit national defense information to an unauthorized individual, as well as for bribery and theft of government property.”

Further detailing the alleged treasonous activities, the statement elaborated, “The indictment in the District of Oregon claims that starting on or about November 28, 2021, and continuing until at least December 19, 2024, Duan and Tian, along with others known and unknown to the grand jury, conspired to secretly collect sensitive military information pertaining to the operational capabilities of the United States Army, including technical manuals and other classified information. It is alleged that Tian transmitted this information to Duan in exchange for money, thereby violating his official duties as an active-duty U.S. Army officer. Specifically, Tian was responsible for gathering information related to U.S. military weapon systems, including details concerning the Bradley and Stryker U.S. Army fighting vehicles, and relaying this information to Duan.

In addition, the statement highlighted, “The indictment in the Western District of Washington claims that starting in or around July 2024, and continuing until the time of the arrest, Jian Zhao, a U.S. Army Supply Sergeant on active duty, conspired with both known and unknown individuals to the grand jury to acquire and transmit national defense information to persons located in China. Furthermore, Zhao is alleged to have engaged in bribery and the theft of government property.”