Nathan Vilas Laatsch has been arrested for allegedly attempting to transmit classified information to a foreign government

Nathan Vilas Laatsch, 28, an IT specialist at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), was taken into custody on May 29, 2025, in northern Virginia. Laatsch, who held a Top Secret security clearance and worked in the DIA’s Insider Threat Division, is accused of trying to share national defense information with a foreign government representative, who was actually an undercover FBI agent. 

The investigation began in March after the FBI received a tip that Laatsch had offered to provide classified information to a friendly foreign government. In communications with the undercover agent, Laatsch expressed ideological differences with the current U.S. administration and indicated a willingness to share sensitive materials, including completed intelligence products and other classified documentation. 

Laatsch allegedly transcribed classified information onto a notepad at his desk and, over several days, exfiltrated the information from his workspace. On May 1, he reportedly left a thumb drive containing multiple typed documents marked up to the Secret and Top Secret levels in a public park, believing it would be retrieved by the foreign government. The thumb drive also included a message from Laatsch and a sample of the types of products he had access to. 

Following this, Laatsch expressed interest in obtaining citizenship from the foreign country, stating he did not anticipate “things here to improve in the long term.” He was arrested at a prearranged location after making additional plans for a drop-off. 

Laatsch is scheduled to make his initial court appearance in the Eastern District of Virginia. It is not yet clear if he has legal representation.