The US Justice Department has announced criminal charges against Michael Charles Schena, a 42-year-old State Department employee, for allegedly sharing sensitive government information with unauthorized individuals.
Schena, who worked as a South Caribbean desk officer in Washington, held a top secret security clearance and is accused of conspiring to gather and transmit national defense information.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, Schena allegedly accepted payments in exchange for sharing classified details through online communication platforms since April 2022.
Surveillance footage reportedly captured him photographing at least five diplomatic documents marked ‘secret’ at a State Department workstation last month. He was arrested outside his Virginia home on the same day.
Schena has not entered a plea, and his lawyer, as well as the State Department, have yet to comment on the charges. The exact nature of the documents and their recipients remain unclear.
