William Colton Millay Sentenced To 16 Years In Prison For Selling Military Secrets
William Colton Millay, an Alaska-
based military policeman, will serve
16 years in prison and will be
dishonorably discharged for selling
military secrets to a Russian agent.
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William Colton
Millay Sentenced
To 16 Years In
Prison For Selling
Military Secrets
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-
RICHARDSON, Alaska — An
Alaska-based military policeman
will serve 16 years in prison and
will be dishonorably discharged
for selling secrets to an FBI
undercover agent who he
believed was a Russian spy, a
panel of eight military members
has decided.
Spec. William Colton Millay, of
Owensboro, Ky., pleaded guilty
last month to attempted
espionage and other counts. He
was sentenced Monday.
Military prosecutors painted him
as a white supremacist who was
fed up with the Army and the
United States, and was willing to
sell secrets to an enemy agent,
even if that would cost fellow
soldiers their lives.
Defense attorneys said Millay
was emotionally stunted, was
only seeking attention and was a
candidate for rehabilitation.
Monday's proceedings were like a
mini-trial conducted in front of
the sentencing panel, with both
sides calling two witnesses.
FBI Special Agent Derrick
Chriswell said Millay came to
their attention in the summer of
2011 through an anonymous tip
after Millay sent an email to a
Russian publication seeking
information about the military
and made several calls to the
Russian embassy.
"That's a concern for national
security," Chriswell said.
The FBI, working with military
intelligence agencies, conducted
the investigation. On Sept. 13,
2011, an FBI undercover agent
called Millay and set up a
meeting the next day at an
Anchorage hotel-restaurant.
Chriswell testified that during
the first meeting with the agent,
Millay "expressed his disgust
with the U.S. military." They
then moved to the agent's hotel
room, where audio and video
recording devices were in place.Millay, 24, said he'd work for
the Russian government, and if
they made it worth his while,
he'd re-enlist for a second five-
year stint. He also said he had
confidential information on the
Warlock Duke jamming system
the U.S. military uses to sweep
roadside bombs.
Two days after that meeting,
Millay reported to his
commander that he had been
contacted by a Russian agent. He
was later interrogated by
military intelligence officers and
the FBI, but prosecutors say
Millay was merely trying to
throw off suspicion.
Chriswell said Millay, during the
interrogation, withheld
information that officials
already knew from the
recordings. That included a
claim that he didn't know why a
Russian agent would contact
him, his claim to the agent that
he had access to Social Security
numbers of people on base
because of his police job and that
he had sent her an earlier text
claiming he had more
information on the jamming
system.
Later, after he came off a
monthlong leave, he told the
agent he was willing to sell
information using a confidential
drop at a park.
On Oct. 21, 2011, he dropped off
a white envelope in a garbage
can that contained information
about the F-22 stealth fighter jet
and the jamming system. That
envelope was later collected by
the FBI.
Millay was told to drive to a
hotel, where he collected $3,000
and a disposable cellphone from
a pickup.
Afterward, the agent contacted
Millay to complain her superiors
wanted information that wasn't
on the Internet. Millay assured
her that the information on the
jamming system – about a
paragraph's worth – wasn't
available. That was later
confirmed by military personnel.
He was arrested Oct. 28, 2011. A
search of his barracks found two
handguns, detailed instructions
on how to use a Russian Internet
phone service and literature
from the white supremacist
organization, the National
Socialists Movement.
Chriswell also testified that
Millay has two Nazi SS
thunderbolt tattoos under his
biceps and spider web tattoos,
which he said was common
among racists in prison.
"He branded himself in their
symbols of hate," military
prosecutor Capt. Stewart
Hyderkhan said in his closing
statement, arguing for at least 25
years in prison. "He had hate for
the Army. He had hate for the
United States."
Millay's attorney, Seattle-based
Charles Swift, argued that the
Nazi movement and Russia don't
exactly have a lot in common,
and that Millay had once been
married to a Filipino.
Defense witness Dr. Veronica
Harris, a psychiatrist, testified
Millay had the emotional
capability of a 5-year-old and
suffers from low self-esteem,
mild depression, alcoholism and
narcissism.
"I know I've made a terrible
mistake," Millay said in court
Monday. "I'm a U.S. soldier, and
that piece of me, I'm proud of."
Hyderkhan said jailhouse
recordings show Millay threatens
to continue to divulge secrets.
Swift, in his closing statement,
argued that eight years was
punitive enough and would
provide time for rehabilitation.
The panel recommended a 19-
year sentence, but that was
dropped to 16 years because of a
pretrial agreement. Millay will
receive credit for the 535 days
he's been jailed since his arrest.
The panel also reduced him in
rank to private and he will
forfeit all pay and allowances.
Swift said he accepts the sentence
