Former Fort Bragg employee accused of leaking military secrets

A former Fort Bragg employee with a secret clearance is accused of leaking military secrets to a reporter, then admitted to his mother that he could be jailed for revealing sensitive activities, according to a federal complaint.

Courtney P. Williams, 40, an Army veteran assigned to the Special Forces Unit (SMU) at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and charged with illegally passing on classified defense information, including secret tactics used in secret missions, to an investigative reporter over a period of several years, federal prosecutors said.

According to the complaint, Williams had a Top Secret/Sensitive Integrated (TS/SCI) clearance and had direct access to highly sensitive operational information, including tactics, strategies and procedures – commonly referred to as TTPs – used by top military units.

Williams is accused of violating 18 USC § 793 (d) the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a news release on Wednesday.

Investigators allege that between 2022 and 2025, Williams had extensive contact with the reporter, including phone calls lasting hundreds of minutes and nearly 180 text messages, while also sending documents and materials that were later published in an article and book identifying him as a source.

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FBI Director Kash Patel took to X on Wednesday after the arrest, saying the bureau “will not tolerate” intel leaks.

“Let this serve as a message to any leakers: we are working these cases, and we are making arrests,” Patel wrote. “The FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and endanger the American people.”

The Associated Press reported that although the reporter was not named in court, “the dates and details match” both the article and the book written by Seth Harp about the Army’s Delta Force.

An excerpt from Harp’s book, “The Fort Bragg Cartel” was published in Politico magazine last August under the title, “My Life Became a Living Hell: One Woman’s Career in Delta Force, the Army’s Most Elite Unit,” containing Williams’ testimony alleging sexual harassment while serving.

Williams, an Army veteran, holds a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance. (Logan Mock-Bunting/Getty Images)

Harp released a statement to WRAL-TV about Williams, calling her a “brave and honest whistleblower,” despite the reported skepticism she shared with a reporter after the book was published.

“Delta Force personnel leak ‘national defense information’ on podcasts and YouTube shows every day, but the government is going after Courtney for the sole reason that she exposed sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the unit. This is an act of retaliation, plain and simple,” Harp’s statement said.

The published material, according to the government, contained information classified at the “SECRET” level with “NOFORN” restrictions, meaning it was not authorized to be released to outsiders – raising concerns that it could be accessed by America’s enemies.

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“Consent holders accept a strict responsibility to protect the classified information they are entrusted with,” said Assistant National Security Attorney John A. Eisenberg in a DOJ statement. “Doing this is essential to our nation’s security. If permit holders violate that trust, the National Security Division will take immediate action to hold them accountable.”

Evidence presented in the complaint includes messages that show Williams sent a thumb drive containing material to a reporter, as well as files stored on his computer labeled “Reporting Batch 1” and similar titles, suggesting a coordinated effort to provide information.

On the day the story and letter were published, Williams reportedly wrote a message to a reporter expressing concern about the scope of the disclosure, writing that he was troubled by the “amount of classified information being disclosed” and that it sounded like “the entire TTP was sent on my behalf.”

In a separate interview with his mother, Williams is said to have acknowledged the legal risk directly.

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“I can actually be arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of this book,” he wrote, adding the legal basis for “revealing confidential information.”

Authorities say Williams signed multiple nondisclosure agreements while serving with the military and was expressly warned that unauthorized disclosure of classified material could violate federal law.

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly over Fort Bragg, NC (Sgt. Steven Galimore/US Army)

The complaint also notes that the leaked information could be very dangerous, including putting military personnel at risk and putting jobs at risk if adversaries learn the leaked tactics.

“The trades, tactics, and strategies used by the US military in this case are classified and should be shared only with those who have the appropriate permissions and a need to know to protect American lives and protect classified National Security information,” said Reid Davis, FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.

“These are serious cases. Anyone who discloses the information they swore to protect from a journalist for publication is negligent, self-centered and harming the nation’s security.”

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Authorities say Williams signed multiple nondisclosure agreements and was warned that releasing classified material could violate federal law.

The FBI Charlotte Field Office is investigating the case, with “significant assistance” provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Fox News Digital reached out to Politico.