A 37-year-old former government contractor from Spring Lake was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday, October 27, accused of posting national defense information on social media and stealing a night-vision goggle system tied to the Army's Special Operations Command. James Thomas Ashbacher held a Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information access while working for a private company that provided security and emergency management services to the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg.
According to WRAL, Ashbacher was arrested for allegedly posting national defense information on a popular social media platform. The station reports that the FBI's Charlotte Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from the U.S. Department of the Army's Criminal Investigative Division.
Prosecutors allege Ashbacher photographed and removed photos and videos containing images of classified military operations and posted them online, according to The News & Observer. The newspaper reports that Ashbacher allegedly told someone to “take ‘em down, tuck them away, and repost them in a year or two when my contract ends lol.”
Night Vision Gear and a Classified Award Write-Up
Investigators allegedly found a classified award write-up containing additional national defense information at Ashbacher's residence, along with a night-vision goggle system previously reported missing from the Army's Special Operations Command, the same report states. The Justice Department's own announcement of the case, titled Former U.S. Government Contractor Arrested for Allegedly Leaking National Defense Information and Stealing Night Vision Goggles, confirms Ashbacher allegedly stole the goggles and unlawfully retained other national defense information at his home.
Ashbacher was indicted Tuesday on charges of unlawfully transmitting and retaining national defense information and theft of government property, per the News & Observer's reporting. His contractor work reportedly began around 2021 and lasted through March 2024, according to the indictment described in that account.
Federal Statutes Behind the Charges
The charges against Ashbacher draw on federal law covering the gathering, transmitting, or losing of defense information, a provision found under 18 U.S.C. Chapter 37, the federal espionage and censorship statute. The theft of government property allegation falls under 18 U.S.C. § 641, which covers public money, property, or records.
Court records reviewed by the News & Observer do not establish whether the case has resulted in a conviction, plea, or other resolution, and the outlet's reporting does not identify Ashbacher's attorney or detail his detention status. It remains unclear exactly what social media platforms or accounts were involved, or the precise classification markings and contents of the materials investigators say were transmitted.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Leak Cases
Ashbacher's arrest follows a string of similar cases involving contractors and service members accused of mishandling classified defense information. In April, the FBI arrested former Army employee Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, who was indicted the following day in connection with the alleged transmission of classified national defense information, according to a Justice Department announcement. Separately, former Air National Guardsman Jack Douglas Teixeira was sentenced to 15 years in prison in February 2025 for unlawfully disclosing classified national defense information, per another Justice Department release.
Stolen night-vision equipment has also surfaced in other federal cases. In 2022, an active-duty Air Force service member pleaded guilty to selling stolen military-issued night-vision devices and components, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. The FBI Charlotte Field Office has not indicated whether Ashbacher's case is connected to any of those prior prosecutions.
