Raleigh, NC – Courtney Williams, a 40-year-old former operator within a highly secretive United States military unit, was arrested Wednesday on federal charges alleging she disseminated classified national defense information to individuals lacking legal clearance, including a working journalist. The charges, unsealed by a federal magistrate judge in Raleigh, accuse Williams of an information pipeline spanning nearly three years, during which she allegedly provided sensitive details about her tenure in Delta Force to unauthorized contacts.
Williams was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following her arrest, with hearings scheduled for the following week. No attorney was listed in court records at the time. Prosecutors have invoked the Espionage Act, a statute typically reserved for cases where the government asserts national security has been materially compromised.
The journalist at the center of the allegations is Seth Harp, known for his reporting on the U.S. special operations community. While Harp is not explicitly named in the federal affidavit, court documents contain numerous references that align with his published work. Harp authored "The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces," a book released last year in which Williams is a prominent figure. He also penned a widely circulated Politico profile titled "My Life Became a Living Hell: One Woman’s Career in Delta Force, the Army’s Most Elite Unit," where Williams is identified as a "signature reduction specialist."
Prosecutors allege the exchange of information between Williams and Harp occurred from 2022 through 2025, facilitated through phone calls and text messages. The affidavit, authored by Special Agent Jocelyn Fox, cites alleged messages from Williams indicating her awareness of the potential legal ramifications. In a text message purportedly sent to Harp on the day his book and profile were published, Williams allegedly wrote, "Other than a few factual errors, I would definitely have been concerned with the amount of classified information being disclosed." She continued in the same message, "I thought things I was telling you so you could have a better general understanding of how the (SMU) was set up or operated would not be published and it feels like an entire TTP (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures) was sent out in my name giving them a chance to legally persecute me."
Further alleged communications documented in the affidavit include an exchange with Williams’ mother. Williams reportedly texted, "I might actually get arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of the book." When her mother inquired why, Williams allegedly responded, "for disclosing classified information." In another message, Williams reportedly expressed concern that she was "probably going to jail for life." When directly asked if she understood the potential legal consequences, she allegedly replied, "I have known my entire career, they tell you everyday... 100 times a day."
Investigators allege that Williams, who signed Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreements both upon joining and leaving the unit, stored ten files designated as SECRET on her personal computer under a folder titled "Batch for Reporter." According to the Department of Justice, these files contained personnel records from her Delta Force tenure and, critically, "specific Tactics, Techniques & Procedures (TTPs) utilized by this (SMU) to execute sensitive missions." A message from Harp cited in the complaint also referenced a physical thumb drive exchange, with Harp allegedly writing, "Just wanted to let you know I dropped this in the mail today for the thumb drive. It’s stamped and addressed and ready to be sent back, no need to go to the post office!" Harp’s book acknowledged Williams as a source, crediting her across more than ten hours of recorded phone conversations and over 180 text messages.
On the day the Politico story went live, Williams posted on LinkedIn, stating, "I stood in rooms with thousands of men who watched me be sexually harassed, assaulted, and discriminated against. And they did nothing. All that power inherently gifted to them, and they did nothing."
Following Williams’ arrest, Seth Harp characterized the action as "a vindictive act of retaliation, plain and simple." He informed WRAL that Williams was "a brave whistleblower and truth-teller," asserting that the government was targeting her for "exposed sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the unit."
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest via social media, issuing a warning to others: "Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. This FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way." Reid Davis, the FBI’s special agent in charge in North Carolina, emphasized that anyone who discloses information they swore to protect "is reckless, self-serving and damages our nation’s security." Roman Rozhavsky, an assistant director within the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, added that Williams "swore an oath to safeguard our nation’s secrets" and allegedly "betrayed that oath by sharing classified information with a media outlet and putting our nation, our warfighters, and our allies at risk."
