Former US Army soldier pleads guilty to conspiracy over sensitive military information sent to China

Former US Army soldier Ruoyu Duan, 41, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to gather and transmit sensitive national defence information to people in China, according to federal prosecutors.

The case concerns a conspiracy that prosecutors said operated from November 2021 through March 2025.

Duan allegedly paid active-duty US Army soldiers and others to obtain military information and equipment.

According to court documents, the material included computer equipment, training materials, intelligence reports and technical manuals concerning the Army's operational capabilities.

Military weapons systems targeted

Prosecutors said information obtained through the conspiracy concerned US military weapons systems, including the Bradley and Stryker combat vehicles and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, known as HIMARS.

The information was allegedly transferred to people in China.

A superseding information filed against Duan charges conspiracy to gather and transmit national defence information. US Attorney Scott E. Bradford announced the guilty plea for the District of Oregon.

Court documents describe the gathering of information and equipment as having been conducted secretly.

Duan's previous Army service

Duan served as a US Army soldier from 2013 to 2017.

Prosecutors said he had been trained in handling sensitive and classified military information during his military service.

The case therefore involves allegations concerning a former service member who prosecutors say used payments to obtain sensitive military material after leaving the Army.

An earlier indictment also named Li Tian, an active-duty US Army officer, in a separate conspiracy charge involving bribery and theft of government property.

The Oregon case

On 5 March 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Duan and Li Tian with conspiring to commit bribery and theft of government property.

The FBI arrested Duan in Oregon the following day, on 6 March 2025.

The charging documents described a conspiracy involving people known and unknown to the grand jury.

One indictment alleged that, beginning around 28 November 2021 and continuing through around 19 December 2024, Tian transmitted sensitive military information to Duan in exchange for money.

According to the allegation, Tian's conduct breached his official duties as an active-duty US Army officer.

The indictment also alleged that Tian was asked to obtain information concerning US military weapons systems, including the Bradley and Stryker combat vehicles, and transfer it to Duan.

Separate Washington case

The supplied court material also describes a separate case in the US District Court for the Western District of Washington involving active-duty Army logistics sergeant Zhao Jian.

An indictment alleged that, beginning around July 2024 and continuing until his arrest, Zhao conspired with people known and unknown to the grand jury to obtain defence information and transmit it to individuals in China.

The Justice Department said Zhao was accused of conspiring to collect and sell several classified hard drives, including drives marked "Confidential" and "Top Secret".

The indictment alleged that Zhao negotiated with people in China over the sale of the drives and agreed to send them to those individuals.

Prosecutors said Zhao received at least US$10,000 in exchange for selling the classified hard drives.

The allegations also included an encrypted computer allegedly stolen from the US government, as well as sensitive US military documents and information.

HIMARS and military preparedness information

According to the Justice Department, the material Zhao was accused of attempting to sell included information concerning HIMARS and US military preparations in the event of a conflict involving the People's Republic of China.

Zhao was also accused of accepting money in exchange for failing to protect sensitive information as required by his duties as an Army service member and public official.

The Justice Department said Zhao was accused of receiving at least US$15,000 in bribes in total.

The separate Washington case is distinct from Duan's guilty plea in Oregon.

Investigation and prosecution

The Duan case was investigated by the FBI's Portland and Seattle Field Offices and the US Army Counterintelligence Command.

The investigation also received assistance from the Customs and Border Protection Seattle Field Office, CBP Office of Professional Responsibility, the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

The prosecution is being handled by Geoffrey A. Barrow and Katherine A. Rykken, Assistant US Attorneys for the District of Oregon, together with Christopher Magnani and Yifei Zheng, trial attorneys for the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.