Former Delta Force Employee Charged Under Espionage Act for Leaking to Journalist Who Exposed Sexual Harassment in the Unit
Courtney Williams, who held top secret clearance at Fort Bragg, faces up to 10 years in prison for allegedly sharing classified information with journalist Seth Harp. Her own texts show she knew the risk: 'I might actually get arrested.'
The FBI arrested Courtney Williams, a 40-year-old former Army civilian employee who held top secret clearance at one of the military's most secretive units, and charged her under the Espionage Act for leaking classified information to a journalist writing about sexual harassment within the elite commando force.
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of North Carolina indicted Williams on April 8 on one count of willful transmission of national defense information under 18 U.S.C. § 793(d), which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Williams worked as an operational support specialist at a Special Military Unit at Fort Bragg from 2010 to 2016, holding a Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance with daily access to classified material. Between 2022 and 2025, according to the indictment, she communicated extensively with journalist Seth Harp — over 10 hours of phone calls and more than 180 text messages — as he researched a book and article about the unit.
Harp published The Fort Bragg Cartel in August 2025, alongside an excerpt in Politico. Both named Williams as a source and attributed specific statements to her, some of which the government says contained classified national defense information. The book detailed sexual harassment and discrimination Williams experienced during her eight years with Delta Force.
She knew the risk
Williams's own messages, quoted in the indictment, show she understood the consequences.
On the day the book and article were published, she told Harp she was "concerned about the amount of classified information being disclosed." In a separate message to a third party, she was more direct:
"I might actually get arrested . . . for disclosing classified information."
When asked how she knew she could face legal consequences, she responded: "I have known my entire career," adding that "they tell you everyday . . . 100 times a day."
In a message to another person, she wrote she was "probably going to jail for life."
The DOJ also alleges Williams made unauthorized disclosures through her social media accounts, beyond what she shared with Harp.
The government's position
"Clearance holders accept a solemn obligation to protect the classified information entrusted to them," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg. "When clearance holders violate that trust, the National Security Division will act swiftly to hold them accountable."
U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle framed it more sharply: "We will pursue criminal charges to keep these warriors safe whenever we find leakers exalting their own feelings over the safety of the United States."
The FBI's Counterintelligence Division said Williams "allegedly betrayed that oath by sharing classified information with a media outlet and putting our nation, our warfighters, and our allies at risk."
Harp calls it retaliation
Harp, the journalist, called Williams "a brave whistleblower and truth-teller" in a statement after her arrest. He argued the prosecution is selective:
"Former Delta Force operators disclose 'national defense information' on podcasts and YouTube shows every day, but the government is going after Courtney for the sole reason that she exposed sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the unit."
He called the charges "a vindictive act of retaliation, plain and simple" and said Williams "was adamant that she be quoted by name and made no attempt to conceal her identity because her actions were entirely above-board."
Harp also pushed back on the indictment itself, saying it was "full of misleadingly juxtaposed quotations taken out of context" and questioning whether the classified information at issue was anything beyond the fact "that many Delta Force operators and officers sexually harass and discriminate against women in the workplace."
What's next
Williams was ordered temporarily detained after her arrest. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 13.
The case is being prosecuted by the Eastern District of North Carolina and the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. The FBI Charlotte Field Office is investigating.
An indictment is an allegation. Williams is presumed innocent until proven guilty.