A former Defense Intelligence Agency employee admitted to trying to hand over classified U.S. intelligence to a foreign government, allegedly hoping to secure citizenship in return.
Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 29, of Alexandria, Virginia, pleaded guilty Wednesday to transmitting national defense information to a foreign government, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Laatsch had worked as an IT specialist at the Defense Intelligence Agency since 2019 and held a Top Secret security clearance. He was assigned to the agency’s Insider Threat Division, where his responsibilities included helping protect against the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information.
Instead, prosecutors say, Laatsch used his access to collect classified material and offer it to a foreign government.
The FBI became aware of the effort in March 2025 after receiving information that Laatsch had offered to provide classified material to a friendly foreign government. He subsequently began communicating with a person he believed was connected to that government.
The person was actually an undercover FBI agent.
Laatsch later began copying classified information while working at his government workstation. In late April 2025, he spent about three days transcribing information onto a notepad and removing it from his workspace.
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He then placed the material on a thumb drive and left it at a public park in Northern Virginia, expecting someone connected to the foreign government to retrieve it. The FBI instead recovered the drive.
Investigators found multiple typed documents on the device containing information classified at the Secret or Top Secret level. Laatsch had also left a message explaining that he had included what he described as a “decent sample size” to show the range of classified material he could access.
The alleged exchange was not simply about money.
After receiving confirmation that the material had been collected, Laatsch told the undercover agent that he was interested in obtaining citizenship in the foreign country. He said he was not opposed to other compensation but indicated that he did not particularly need financial payment.
The FBI continued the operation and told Laatsch that more classified material could be accepted.
Between May 15 and May 27, 2025, prosecutors say Laatsch again copied information from his classified workstation. He then removed the material from his workplace, at times concealing the notes in his clothing.
On May 29, he met an undercover FBI agent at a predetermined location in Northern Virginia and handed over additional classified documents.
He was arrested after the FBI received the documents.
The Justice Department has characterized the case as a serious breach of the trust placed in government employees with access to national security information.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said government employees who are entrusted with classified material have an obligation to protect it, regardless of their personal disagreements or motivations.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg similarly argued that opposition to the government does not justify illegally disclosing national defense information.
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“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,” Blanche said.
FBI Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky said Laatsch had been working in the very division responsible for addressing insider threats when he allegedly attempted to exploit his own access to classified information.
According to Rozhavsky, Laatsch was offering American secrets in an effort to obtain foreign citizenship.
The case also highlights how the FBI operation unfolded before Laatsch knew that he was communicating with U.S. investigators. What he believed was an opportunity to establish a relationship with a foreign government was instead an undercover operation that ultimately led to his arrest.
Laatsch is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27, 2027. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The final sentence will be determined by a federal judge after consideration of the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Washington Field Office is leading the investigation, with assistance from the FBI’s Global Counterespionage Unit and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The Defense Intelligence Agency also cooperated with investigators.
The case is being prosecuted by the Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.