A retired U.S. Army colonel was sentenced to two years in federal prison for disclosing classified military information to a civilian he met online, authorities said.
Kevin Charles Luke, 62, entered the plea in October in a Florida federal court to a charge of unlawful transmission of national defense information.
Luke’s career spanned nearly 40 years, including service in both active duty and Army Reserve capacities, before retiring at the rank of colonel in 2018, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, which prosecuted the case.
Following his military retirement, Luke took a civilian position with the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the Department of Defense entity responsible for overseeing U.S. military operations across the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Africa. CENTCOM is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
Court documents and statements from federal prosecutors indicated that Luke maintained a “top secret” security clearance throughout his tenure in the Army and in his civilian role at CENTCOM.
He had also signed a non-disclosure agreement as recently as February 2019, affirming his legal and contractual obligation to protect classified material.
Despite these obligations, prosecutors say Luke transmitted sensitive information to a woman he met through online interactions in October 2024.
Using his personal cell phone, he sent a text message that included a photograph of a computer screen displaying a classified email he had drafted and sent from his government account. The accompanying message read: “sent to my boss earlier, gives you a peek at what I do for a living,” according to court filings.
The photograph allegedly contained operational details for an upcoming U.S. military mission, including the number of planned targets, the intended date of execution, the operation’s objectives, and the methods by which it would be carried out.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that the disclosure “could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security of the United States.”
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Investigators reported that Luke’s interactions with the woman were conducted primarily through his personal devices, rather than official government channels.
Authorities did not disclose whether the recipient of the classified information shared it further, but prosecutors emphasized that the mere transmission of the data constituted a violation of federal law.
Under federal statutes governing national defense information, unauthorized disclosure of classified material can carry significant penalties, including imprisonment and fines. Luke’s plea agreement acknowledged his responsibility for transmitting the information and formed the basis for the sentencing handed down by the court.
Luke’s military record included multiple deployments and leadership roles within both active and reserve units, according to public military service records.
As a civilian employee at CENTCOM, he continued to work in positions requiring access to highly sensitive information, which federal officials said underscored the severity of his breach.
In addition to prison time, individuals convicted under the Espionage Act or related statutes may face restrictions on future access to classified materials and potential administrative sanctions.
While federal prosecutors did not specify additional penalties in this case, they noted that the breach violated longstanding safeguards designed to prevent sensitive operational details from reaching unauthorized parties.
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The sentencing comes amid ongoing federal scrutiny of how military and government personnel handle classified data in personal communications. Officials have highlighted a series of recent cases in which former service members or contractors transmitted sensitive information using personal devices or unsecure channels.
These cases underscore the continuing risks posed by digital communication in operational and national security contexts.
Legal experts said Luke’s case illustrates both the breach of responsibility that accompanies a top-secret clearance and the legal consequences of ignoring it.
Court filings suggest that the violation was not motivated by financial gain, but by personal communications, emphasizing that the unauthorized release of classified content can occur outside traditional espionage scenarios.
The Department of Justice emphasized that the case was resolved through the federal judicial process, with Luke accepting responsibility for his actions through his guilty plea. “The unauthorized release of the information contained within the photograph could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security of the United States,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated in a press release.
According to the court, he will report to federal prison to begin serving the two-year term.
Beyond incarceration, the case has reaffirmed government guidance that individuals with access to classified information must adhere strictly to disclosure rules, regardless of the personal context in which communications occur.