Michael Charles Schena, a 42-year-old resident of Alexandria, Virginia, has been arrested on charges related to his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information. The arrest follows an investigation by the FBI Washington Field Office with support from the FBI Richmond Field Office and other agencies.
Court documents reveal that Schena is employed by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he held a top secret security clearance. It is alleged that starting around April 2022, Schena communicated with individuals online and provided them with unauthorized information in exchange for payments. On February 27, Schena reportedly used his cellphone to capture images of classified documents marked as "SECRET" from his computer monitor at work before returning home to Alexandria, where the phone was seized.
Schena faces charges of conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider various guidelines and statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Ben’Ary and Gavin R. Tisdale for the Eastern District of Virginia along with Trial Attorney Maria Fedor from the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.
It is important to note that a criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.