A U.S. Department of State employee from Alexandria is facing federal charges for allegedly participating in a criminal conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information.
Michael Charles Schena, 42, who held a top-secret security clearance, is accused of communicating with people he met online and providing them with sensitive information in exchange for payments, according to a press release published on Friday from the U.S. Department of Justice. This activity allegedly began in April 2022.
According to the FBI, on February 27, Schena used a cell phone to take photos of multiple classified documents marked “SECRET” from his work computer at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. He reportedly left work and returned to his home in Alexandria, where the cell phone was seized.
The affidavit states that Schena received payments from various accounts between May 2022 and March 2023. At least 10 transactions are believed to be related to his online communications. Investigators found an invoice in Schena’s iCloud account referencing receipt of “10,000 USD and an iPhone 14 mobile device from Jason, which equals 79841 CNY,” believed to refer to Chinese currency.
Schena is charged with conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information and faces a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Court documents reveal that Schena signed a Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement in 2006, acknowledging he had received security training on protecting classified information.
The FBI Washington Field Office led the investigation, with support from the FBI Richmond Field Office, the Department of Justice’s Office of Enforcement Operations, and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Ben’Ary and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Maria Fedor of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
The Department of Justice emphasizes that a criminal complaint contains only allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
