A Texas County, Missouri man was indicted on March 13 with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri. The indictment against Seth Chambers, 35, a former United States Marine Corps intelligence analyst, was unsealed following his arrest and initial court appearance.
The case is significant as it involves allegations that classified documents were transmitted to unauthorized individuals, raising concerns about the protection of sensitive government information. According to court documents, Chambers held a security clearance up to the TOP SECRET level while working as a civilian contractor in Iraq. He is accused of sending SECRET level documents on two occasions: first on December 10, 2022, to an individual in Maryland, and again on April 20, 2023, to someone believed to be in the People’s Republic of China.
The indictment states that both transmissions included verbatim or near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents. “The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence,” the statement said.
If convicted on both counts, Chambers could face up to ten years in federal prison without parole for each count. Sentencing would ultimately be determined by the court based on advisory guidelines and statutory factors set by Congress.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Kelleher and Trial Attorneys Nicolas Hunter and Sean O’Dowd from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The FBI Kansas City Field Office led the investigation.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri handles federal prosecutions and civil litigation across 66 counties in western Missouri according to its official website. The office collaborates with federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement partners according to its official website and supports community outreach programs addressing issues such as violent crime and drug trafficking according to its official website. Offices are located in Kansas City, Jefferson City and Springfield according to its official website, covering a jurisdiction that stretches from Iowa’s border southward to Arkansas and westward from Kansas nearly halfway across Missouri according to its official website. The office is affiliated with the U.S. Department of Justice according to its official website.
