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3w ago

DIA IT Specialist Arrested for Attempting to Provide Classified Data to Foreign Government

Officials say Laatsch carried out two dead-drop operations with an undercover FBI agent after declaring his opposition to the administration’s values.

The J. Edgar Hoover Building, headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is seen in Washington, D.C., May 29, 2025.
The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference with Attorney General Pam Bondi, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
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Overview

  • Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division and held a Top Secret clearance since 2019.
  • The FBI launched a covert investigation in March after receiving a tip that Laatsch offered to share U.S. defense intelligence with a friendly foreign government.
  • On May 1, he deposited a thumb drive marked Secret and Top Secret in a northern Virginia park for what he believed was a foreign contact.
  • Prosecutors allege he sought citizenship from the foreign nation as compensation and arranged a second drop on May 29, when agents arrested him.
  • Laatsch is scheduled for an initial court appearance in the Eastern District of Virginia on Friday and the FBI continues its probe with support from the Air Force OSI and the DIA.