Overview

• Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, was taken into custody on May 29 at a prearranged drop site in northern Virginia and is due in federal court on May 30.
• The FBI Washington Field Office opened a probe in March after receiving a tip that Laatsch offered to share classified national defense information with a friendly foreign government.
• Laatsch has worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division since 2019 under Top Secret clearance, giving him access to critical intelligence products.
• Prosecutors say he transcribed and smuggled documents marked Secret and Top Secret to what he thought was a foreign official, using notepads, thumb drives and concealed notes.
• Court filings reveal he sought foreign citizenship in exchange for the classified data, citing his disagreement with the current administration’s values.