Eastern District of Virginia | DIA IT employee arrested for attempting to provide classified information to foreign government | United States Department of Justice

Defense Intelligence Agency IT Specialist Arrested in FBI Espionage Sting Operation

Federal authorities charge Nathan Vilas Laatsch with attempting to provide classified information to what he believed was a foreign government official

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A 28-year-old Defense Intelligence Agency employee was arrested Thursday following an elaborate FBI undercover operation in which he attempted to provide classified national defense information to what he believed was a representative of a foreign government.

Nathan Vilas Laatsch of Alexandria, Virginia, was charged with gathering defense information to aid a foreign government under the Espionage Act after being caught in an FBI sting that lasted nearly three months.

The Investigation Unfolds

The FBI's investigation began in March 2025 after receiving a tip that Laatsch had offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government. In his initial email outreach, Laatsch wrote that he did not "agree or align with the values of this administration" and was therefore "willing to share classified information" he had access to, including "completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation."

Sources familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post that the foreign country Laatsch attempted to contact was Germany, though this has not been officially confirmed by the Justice Department.

What Laatsch didn't know was that he was communicating with an undercover FBI agent posing as a foreign official throughout the operation.

Inside the DIA's Insider Threat Division

Laatsch had worked as a civilian employee of the DIA since 2019, where he served as an IT specialist and data scientist in the agency's Insider Threat Division and held a Top Secret security clearance. The irony was not lost on investigators—the man tasked with monitoring insider threats had allegedly become one himself.

Surveillance video from inside the DIA facility showed Laatsch transcribing classified information onto a notepad at his desk, then folding the handwritten pages and hiding them in his socks or placing them in the bottom of his lunchbox before leaving work.

The Information Drops

The FBI operation involved two separate intelligence drops in Northern Virginia parks:

First Drop - May 1, 2025: FBI surveillance observed Laatsch deposit a thumb drive at a specified location in a public park. The device contained multiple typed documents marked up to the Secret and Top Secret levels, along with a message from Laatsch indicating he had chosen to include "a decent sample size" of classified information to "decently demonstrate the range of types of products" to which he had access.

Second Drop - May 29, 2025: Laatsch arrived at a prearranged location in northern Virginia for another document drop. He was arrested immediately upon the FBI's receipt of the documents.

Seeking Citizenship, Not Money

After the first successful drop, Laatsch told the undercover agent he was interested in "citizenship for your country" because he did not "expect things here to improve in the long term." While he said he was "not opposed to other compensation," he indicated he was not seeking "material compensation."

In one message, Laatsch reportedly told the FBI agent that he knew how to avoid the "stupid mistakes" that might get him caught, boasting about his position within the insider threat division.

Federal Response

"The conduct alleged in this case is a profound betrayal of the American people and a direct threat to our national security," said Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department's National Security Division. "When someone entrusted with access to classified information attempts to provide it to a foreign government, it jeopardizes our intelligence capabilities, our military advantage, and the safety of our nation."

FBI Director Kash Patel responded to the case on social media, stating: "This case underscores the persistent risk of insider threats. The FBI remains steadfast in protecting our national security and thanks our law enforcement partners for their critical support."

Legal Proceedings

Laatsch made a brief initial court appearance Friday afternoon in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, dressed in a gray T-shirt and dark blue sweatpants. He faces charges of gathering defense information to aid a foreign government, an Espionage Act offense that could carry significant prison time if convicted.

The case highlights the ongoing challenges intelligence agencies face with insider threats, particularly in an era of political polarization where government employees may become disillusioned with current policies.

Analysis

The Laatsch case represents a textbook example of an FBI counterintelligence operation designed to catch individuals attempting to compromise national security. Rather than allowing potentially sensitive intelligence to reach foreign hands, the FBI was able to monitor the entire operation and gather evidence while preventing any actual harm to national security interests.

The fact that Laatsch worked specifically in the DIA's Insider Threat Division adds a particularly troubling dimension to the case, as it suggests someone tasked with preventing exactly this type of security breach allegedly became the threat he was supposed to detect.

Federal prosecutors will likely point to the extensive surveillance evidence, including video of Laatsch transcribing classified materials and the recovered thumb drives, as they build their case. The investigation appears to have been thorough and methodical, with months of documented communications and multiple opportunities for Laatsch to reconsider his actions.

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SIDEBAR: Profile of Nathan Vilas Laatsch

Personal Background Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, of Alexandria, joined the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2019 after graduating in 2018 from Florida PolytechnicUniversity with a degree in cybersecurity. He received his Florida high school diploma through home schooling. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked as a computer scientist for the Department of Defense and previouslyworked as a Cashier at a Publix supermarket while living in Plant City, Florida.

Career at DIA Laatsch, who was hired by the Defense Intelligence Agency in August 2019, most recently worked as a data scientist and IT specialist for information security in the agency's Insider Threat Division. Laatsch held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance, giving him access to some of the nation's most sensitive intelligence.

He worked with the agency's Insider Threat Division, helping officials monitor the computer activities of people under investigation. The position involved significant irony—Laatsch was tasked with detecting the very type of security breach he allegedly attempted to commit.

Political Motivations Court documents reveal Laatsch's actions were driven by political disagreement with the current administration. He wrote to an email account associated with the foreign nation that the "recent actions of the current administration are extremely disturbing to me" and that "I do not agree or align with the values of this administration and intend to act to support the values that the United States at one time stood for."

In that email, the sender wrote that he did not "agree or align with the values of this administration" and was therefore "willing to share classified information" including "completed intelligence products, some unprocessed intelligence, and other assorted classified documentation."

Seeking New Life Abroad Rather than seeking financial compensation, Laatsch specified that he was interested in "citizenship for your country" because he did not "expect[] things here to improve in the long term." Although he said he was "not opposed to other compensation," he was not in a position where he needed to seek "material compensation."

Sources familiar with the investigation told The Washington Post that the foreign country Laatsch attempted to contact was Germany, though this has not been officially confirmed.

Methods and Surveillance Surveillance video of Laatsch's workstation at a Defense Intelligence Agency facility in the Washington area showed how the IT specialist accessed classified information on his screen, transcribed it onto a notepad, then placed the handwritten pages in his socks or lunchbox before leaving work for the day.

Between May 16 and May 27, 2025, Laatsch was repeatedly observed copying classified information onto multiple pages of notes while logged into his DIA workstation. At the end of each day, he folded the pages and appeared to hide them in his socks before leaving the office. Multiple pages also appear to have been placed in the bottom compartment of his lunchbox.

Legal Jeopardy Depending on the details of the case, Laatsch faces "any term or years, or life…or even death," according to DOJ prosecutor Gordon Kromberg. Whitney Minter, a public defender for Laatsch, said he had no criminal record and indicated he would be seeking bail pending trial.

As the case proceeds through the federal court system, it will serve as a reminder of the persistent challenges facing U.S. intelligence agencies in maintaining security while managing a workforce of individuals with varying political views and access to the nation's most sensitive secrets.

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Sources

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14. Eastern District of Virginia | U.S. government employee arrested for attempting to provide classified information to foreign government | United States Department of Justice