A former Fort Bragg employee with top-secret clearance is accused of leaking classified military tactics to a journalist, then admitting to her mother that she could be arrested for exposing sensitive operations, according to a federal complaint.
Courtney P. Williams, 40, an Army veteran assigned to a Special Military Unit (SMU) at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday and charged with unlawfully transmitting national defense information, including classified tactics used in covert missions, to an investigative reporter over a period spanning several years, federal prosecutors allege.
According to the complaint, Williams held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance and had direct access to highly sensitive operational details, including tactics, techniques and procedures — commonly known as TTPs — used by elite military units.
Williams allegedly violated 18 U.S.C. § 793(d), the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a news release Wednesday.
Investigators allege that between 2022 and 2025, Williams communicated extensively with a journalist, including phone calls lasting hundreds of minutes and roughly 180 text messages, while also sending documents and materials that were later published in an article and book identifying her as the source.
FBI Director Kash Patel took to X on Wednesday after the arrest, saying the Bureau "will not tolerate" leakers of classified intel.
"Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests," Patel wrote. "This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way."
The Associated Press thumb drive containing materials to the journalist, as well as files saved on her computer labeled "Batch 1 for Reporter" and similar titles, suggesting an organized effort to provide information.
On the day the article and book were published, Williams allegedly texted the journalist expressing concern about the scope of the disclosure, writing that she was troubled by "the amount of classified information being disclosed" and that it felt like "an entire TTP was sent out in my name."
In a separate conversation with her mother, Williams allegedly acknowledged the legal risk more directly.
"I might actually get arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of the book," she wrote, adding the legal basis as "for disclosing classified information."
Authorities say Williams had signed multiple non-disclosure agreements during her time working with the military unit and was explicitly warned that unauthorized disclosure of classified material could violate federal law.
The complaint also notes that the leaked information could pose serious risks, including exposing military personnel to danger and compromising operations if adversaries studied the disclosed tactics.
"The tradecraft, tactics, and techniques used by the U.S. military unit in this case are classified and should be shared only with those with proper clearances and a need to know in order to protect American lives and safeguard classified National Defense information," said Reid Davis, the FBI Special Agent in Charge in North Carolina.
"These are serious accusations. Anyone divulging information they vowed to protect to a reporter for publication is reckless, self-serving and damages our nation’s security."
Authorities say Williams had signed multiple non-disclosure agreements and was warned that releasing classified material could violate federal law.
The FBI Charlotte Field Office is investigating the case, with "valuable assistance" provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.
Fox News Digital reached out to Politico.