State Department Employee Faces Charges for Sharing Secrets

A State Department employee, Michael Charles Schena, is charged with sharing sensitive government information online. Schena, who held a top secret security clearance, allegedly conspired to transmit U.S. national defense information. Arrested in Virginia, he is accused of accepting payments and photographing secret documents.

The U.S. Justice Department has filed criminal charges against Michael Charles Schena, a State Department employee, for allegedly sharing sensitive information with unauthorized individuals online. The charges include conspiracy to transmit U.S. national defense information, according to a criminal complaint.

Schena, a desk officer with a top secret clearance, was observed photographing secret documents at his State Department workstation. Arrested outside his Virginia home, he allegedly accepted payments from individuals he met on various online platforms since April 2022.

The complaint references a payment linked to China's currency, the yuan. While Schena has yet to enter a plea, neither his attorney nor the State Department provided immediate comments on the case.

(With inputs from agencies.)