A retired U.S. Army officer from Tampa has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for leaking classified national defense information, federal prosecutors announced.
Kevin Charles Luke, 62, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty on October 7, 2025, to a charge of unlawfully sharing confidential material. Prosecutors said Luke admitted to abusing his position of public trust in his plea deal.
According to court records, Luke served on active duty and in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1981 until his retirement as a colonel in June 2018. After retiring from the military, he worked for the U.S. Central Command as a military employee and was responsible for managing top secret/classified information. Officials say he has repeatedly acknowledged his obligation to protect confidential information, including signing a standard Form 312 non-disclosure agreement in February 2019.
Investigators determined that in October 2024, Luke sent a text message to the woman from his personal cell phone referencing information he had provided to his supervisor. He then sent a photo of a computer screen displaying a confidential email he had created using a government system meant for secure communications. The image revealed details of the planned U.S. military operation, including its goals, timing, method of execution, and operational objectives. Officials said the material was classified as classified and its unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause significant harm to the national security of the United States.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Army Office of Special Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Schmidt and Trial Attorney Leslie Esbrook of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, Counterintelligence and Export Control Division.
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the sentence following the court’s decision.
