A former U.S. Army soldier has been charged with leaking classified information to a journalist. The information was provided for the purpose of writing a book that details drug trafficking, murders, and corruption at the military base where he served, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, is accused of “disclosing classified national defense information to unauthorized persons, including a journalist.” According to prosecutors, Williams violated the U.S. Espionage Act.
The case comes at a time when free speech advocates are raising concerns about the Trump administration’s strict policy on government employees leaking information to the media.
Williams served in the Special Forces unit at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, from 2010 to 2016 and held a “Secret/Specially Designated Information” level of clearance.
According to the prosecution, from 2022 to 2025, Williams repeatedly maintained contact with a journalist preparing an article and a book about the unit through phone calls and written messages. They had more than 10 hours of phone calls and exchanged more than 180 messages.
Although the journalist’s name is not mentioned in the court documents, it is known that journalist Seth Harp published a book, “The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in Special Forces,” as well as an article in which Williams is listed as a source.
In addition, according to the indictment, Williams also published classified information on his social media pages without authorization.
