TAMPA, Fla. -- A joint investigation by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations Detachment 340 and the FBI has led to a guilty plea from a former Army colonel who admitted to sharing classified information, federal officials said.
Kevin Charles Luke, 62, of Parrish, Florida, pleaded guilty last month to one count of unauthorized communication of national defense information last month. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison. The sentence date has not yet been set.
Luke retired from the Army in 2018 and later worked as a contractor and government civilian with continued access to classified material.
In Oct. 2024, while working at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Luke began communicating online with a woman and used his personal cell phone to send her a photograph of a classified email he had written on a secure government system.
The message disclosed sensitive details about a planned U.S. military operation, including its timing, targets, method and objective.
Officials said Luke admitted he knew his personal devices were not authorized to handle classified information and that the woman was not cleared to receive it.
“Any compromise of classified material can affect overall mission readiness,” said Special Agent in Charge Larry Runk, AFOSI Det. 340. “During this investigation, Det. 340 worked closely with our federal partners and moved quickly.”
Since the breach occurred at U.S. Central Command, Det. 340, based at MacDill Air Force Base where AFOSI maintains a counterintelligence mission, had jurisdiction to investigate the leak despite Luke’s Army background.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Lindsey Schmidt, along with Justice Department National Security Division trial attorney Leslie Esbrook.
“I’m incredibly proud of the professionalism and dedication our Det. 340 demonstrated throughout this case,” Runk said. “Our strong partnership with the FBI reflects the standard of excellence we strive for every day.”