Ex-DIA Employee Pleads Guilty to Leaking Classified Documents to Foreign Government

Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 29, a former IT specialist at the Defense Intelligence Agency, admitted to transmitting Top Secret materials to a foreign government in exchange for citizenship.

Former Insider Threat Analyst Tried to Sell U.S. Secrets for Foreign Citizenship

Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 29, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty to transmitting national defense information to a foreign government, DOJ Justice News reports. Laatsch, a former IT specialist with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), worked in the agency's own Insider Threat Division and held a Top Secret security clearance.

Laatsch joined the DIA as a civilian employee in 2019. In March 2025, the FBI learned he had offered classified information to a friendly foreign government. Agents then set up an undercover operation: an FBI officer posed as a representative of that government and began communicating with Laatsch.

In late April 2025, Laatsch started hand-copying classified materials from his workstation onto a notepad. Over roughly three days, he repeatedly removed the information from his workspace and ultimately loaded it onto a thumb drive. He then deposited the drive at a public park in northern Virginia for what he believed was foreign government retrieval.

The FBI recovered the drive. It contained multiple typed documents, each classified at the Secret or Top Secret level, along with a note from Laatsch stating he had selected "a decent sample size" to "decently demonstrate the range of types of products" to which he had access.

After receiving confirmation that the drive had been picked up, Laatsch told the undercover FBI agent he was interested in obtaining citizenship in the foreign country. He also indicated that, while he was "not opposed to other compensation," he did not need "material compensation" from a financial standpoint.

In mid-May 2025, the undercover agent signaled readiness to receive additional materials. Between May 15 and May 27, 2025, Laatsch again transcribed multiple pages of classified notes while logged into his secure workstation, concealing the documents in his clothing as he left his workspace on repeated occasions.

On May 29, 2025, Laatsch arrived at a prearranged location in northern Virginia and handed over another set of classified documents. The FBI arrested him upon receipt of the materials.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the case illustrates the consequences of violating a position of public trust. "Laatsch faces serious consequences for violating his position of trust," Blanche said. "This case shows that if you unlawfully disclose national defense information, we will find you and hold you accountable to the fullest extent the law allows."

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said political grievance provides no legal cover. "Unlawfully disclosing national defense information to a foreign government is a serious crime, not a form of principled dissent," Eisenberg stated.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos for the Eastern District of Virginia emphasized that motivation is irrelevant under the law. "No one is entitled to break the law or violate the public trust, no matter their motivations," Stamos said, adding that the office would aggressively prosecute anyone who "recklessly and illegally compromise national security."

FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the Counterintelligence and Espionage Division noted the particular irony of Laatsch's role. "By his own admission, Laatsch betrayed his oath by offering classified information to a foreign government, the very thing he was supposed to prevent as an employee of DIA's Insider Threat Division," Rozhavsky said.

Laatsch is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27, 2027. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after weighing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation, with assistance from the FBI's Global Counterespionage Unit, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Defense Intelligence Agency. Trial Attorney Mark Murphy of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Gordon Kromberg for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case. Court records are available through the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia under Case No. 1:25-cr-156.

Source: DOJ Justice News