Former Fort Bragg employee charged with leaking classified information to journalist

By Holmes Lybrand, CNN

(CNN) — A North Carolina woman has been charged with sharing classified defense information to a journalist following her work as a civilian operational support technician at Fort Bragg, a large US Army base in the state.

Courtney Williams worked in a Special Military Unit from 2010 to 2016 and had top secret clearance with access to a significant amount of classified material, charging documents say.

Federal prosecutors allege that from 2022 to 2025, Williams shared classified information that the journalist used in reporting for an article and book on Fort Bragg.

While court records do not name the journalist, a book “The Fort Bragg Cartel” and magazine article from independent reporter Seth Harp last year, profiles Williams and her allegations of harassment and abuse while employed at Fort Bragg.

With scant details, charging documents allege that information shared by Williams to the reporter included classified information she was not allowed to provide.

CNN is attempting to contact Williams’ attorney.

Harp’s article details the significant sexual and race-based harassment Williams says she saw and, at times, experienced during her work at the North Carolina army base.

According to the Justice Department, on the day the book and article were released, “Williams exchanged several messages with the Journalist” and said she was “concerned about the amount of classified information being disclosed.”

In a conversation with her mother, according to the indictment, Williams said, “I might actually get arrested, and I don’t even get a free copy of the book.”

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