Michael Charles Schena, a 42-year-old resident of Alexandria, Virginia, has been arrested on charges linked to an alleged conspiracy involving national defense information.
Court documents reveal Schena worked for the U.S. Department of State at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., holding a top secret security clearance. Starting around April 2022, he purportedly shared unauthorized information with individuals met online, receiving payments in return. On February 27, he supposedly used a cellphone to photograph documents labeled “SECRET” from his classified computer monitor and subsequently returned home, where his cellphone was confiscated.
Facing charges of conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information, Schena could receive a prison sentence of up to 10 years. A federal district court judge will decide the sentence, taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office with support from the FBI Richmond Field Office and other agencies. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Ben’Ary and Gavin R. Tisdale, alongside Trial Attorney Maria Fedor from the National Security Division.