Top-Secret Traitor: DIA Insider Caught Trying to Trade U.S. Secrets for Foreign Citizenship

Who Guards the Guards? DIA Insider Traded Secrets for a Passport

In a revelation that has shaken the national security community, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrest of Nathan Vilas Laatsch, a 28-year-old IT specialist for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) with Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance. Laatsch allegedly attempted to sell classified national defense information to a foreign government in exchange for citizenship—the very system he was trusted to protect, he tried to betray for personal gain (DOJ, 2025).

Laatsch’s case underscores a glaring irony: the individuals hired to guard America’s most sensitive intelligence may, themselves, pose the greatest threat. According to the DOJ’s affidavit, Laatsch reached out via an encrypted email to a foreign embassy, offering information and highlighting his access to defense intelligence systems. He even volunteered to undergo a polygraph for the foreign government—a chilling level of confidence (Department of Justice [DOJ], 2025).

In his communications, Laatsch claimed his motivations were not ideological, but rather strategic: he was seeking to relocate and obtain citizenship in the foreign country (DOJ, 2025). The DOJ has not disclosed the name of the nation involved, calling it only a “friendly foreign government.” Yet this “friendly” status makes the case even more alarming. If trust can be breached over a mere promise of relocation benefits, what about when hostile nations come calling?

This betrayal comes at a time when the U.S. government is investing heavily in safeguarding critical infrastructure and information systems from insider threats. Laatsch was hired into the DIA's information systems security division, a department responsible for preventing the exact type of breach he attempted. His job was to defend America’s secrets. Instead, he tried to market them.

The DOJ confirmed Laatsch was arrested on May 25, 2025, and now faces charges under the Espionage Act—specifically, for attempted delivery of national defense information to aid a foreign government. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison (DOJ, 2025).

This incident raises renewed questions about how individuals with elevated clearances are vetted and monitored. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), over 1.3 million Americans currently hold secret or top-secret clearances (ODNI, 2024). How many more Nathan Laatschs are hiding in plain sight?

WecuMedia will continue to follow this case as more details emerge. In the meantime, it’s worth asking: when those tasked with stopping spies turn out to be the spies, who’s really guarding the guards?

References:

• Department of Justice. (2025, May 29). DIA IT contractor charged with attempted delivery of classified national defense information to aid a foreign government. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-government-employee-arrested-attempting-provide-classified-information-foreign-government#:~:text=On%20May%2029%2C%20Laatsch%20arrived,FBI's%20receipt%20of%20the%20documents.

• ODNI, (2024) 1.3 million Americans hold cecret or top secret clearances. https://www.dni.gov/