Former U.S. Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Classified Information to Foreign Government

Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 29, of Alexandria, Virginia, a former IT specialist for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), pleaded guilty yesterday to transmission of national defense information to a foreign government.

"U.S. government employees entrusted with our nation's secrets must always protect our nation's security, not cavalierly toss aside this responsibility out of disagreement, selfishness or greed," said Attorney General Todd Blanche. "Laatsch faces serious consequences for violating his position of trust. 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."

"Laatsch's animus toward the U.S. government gave him no license to betray the oath he took to the Constitution of the United States nor the duty he had to the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our Nation," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. "Unlawfully disclosing national defense information to a foreign government is a serious crime, not a form of principled dissent."

"Political disagreement is not a justification for jeopardizing the security of the United States and the lives of those who protect it," said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Theophani K. Stamos for the Eastern District of Virginia. "No one is entitled to break the law or violate the public trust, no matter their motivations, and this office will aggressively prosecute those who recklessly and illegally compromise national security."

"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," said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. "Those entrusted with our nation's most sensitive information must not exploit their access for personal gain - in this case offering to sell American secrets to buy foreign citizenship. The FBI and our partners will continue to hold accountable all those who betray the trust of the American people."

According to court documents, Laatsch became a civilian employee of the DIA in 2019, where he worked with the Insider Threat Division and held a Top Secret security clearance. In March 2025, the FBI learned that Laatsch offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government. Soon thereafter, Laatsch began communicating with an individual who he thought was affiliated with that foreign government but was actually an FBI agent.

In late April 2025, Laatsch began transcribing classified information to a notepad at his desk and, over the course of approximately three days, repeatedly took the information from his workspace. After those three days, Laatsch deposited the classified information on a thumb drive at a public park in northern Virginia for the foreign government to retrieve. The FBI retrieved the drive, which contained multiple typed documents, each containing information up to the Secret or Top Secret level. It also contained a message from Laatsch, in which he indicated that he had chosen to include "a decent sample size" of classified information to "decently demonstrate the range of types of products" to which he had access.

After receiving confirmation that the drive had been received, Laatsch communicated that he was interested in "citizenship" to the foreign country. Laatsch also stated that, though he was "not opposed to other compensation," from a financial standpoint, he did not need "material compensation."

A week later, in mid-May 2025, the FBI agent advised Laatsch that the agent was prepared to receive additional classified information. Between May 15 and May 27, 2025, Laatsch again repeatedly transcribed multiple pages of notes while logged into his classified workstation and took the classified information away from his workstation hidden in his clothing.

On May 29, 2025, Laatsch arrived at a prearranged location in northern Virginia, where he again transmitted multiple classified documents. Laatsch was arrested upon the FBI's receipt of the documents.

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

The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by the FBI's Global Counterespionage Unit and U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations and with thanks to the Defense Intelligence Agency for its cooperation.

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.

Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District CourtLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-156.