A former Army employee accused of leaking classified information about an elite U.S. military unit, widely understood to be Delta Force, has been released to home detention awaiting trial, a federal judge ruled Monday. 

Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, appeared in federal court in Raleigh, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Meyers ordered her released under strict conditions, including location monitoring and a ban on contacting the media or using social media.

Williams faces four counts of communicating and disclosing national defense information after prosecutors allege she shared sensitive details about a “special military unit” based at Fort Bragg. Each county carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Authorities say Williams, who worked as a defense contractor and later a Defense Department employee between 2010 and 2016, held a top-secret security clearance and had access to highly sensitive material.

The indictment alleges that between 2022 and 2025, Williams communicated extensively with a journalist, Seth Harp, including more than 10 hours of phone calls and hundreds of text messages. Harp later published some of the information in his 2025 book, The Fort Bragg Cartel, which alleged misconduct within Delta Force.

The information included the real names of unit members, covert tactics and techniques, and even a cover identity used by the unit, as well as details tied to sensitive overseas missions.

In Harp’s book, Williams said that she was sexually harassed and discriminated against based on her sex during her time at Fort Bragg. She alleged that Delta Force promoted a toxic work environment with drinking, drug use, and sexual harassment rampant.

Federal officials have argued that disclosures posed a serious risk to national security. Reid Davis, the FBI special agent in charge in North Carolina, previously said the alleged leaks “should be shared only with those with proper clearances and a need to know in order to protect American lives.”

“These are serious accusations,” Reid said. “Anyone divulging information they vowed to protect to a reporter for publication is reckless, self-serving, and damages our nation’s security.”

EX-FORT BRAGG EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH LEAKING DELTA FORCE SECRETS TO JOURNALIST

Williams’s defense has not publicly addressed the charges in detail. However, Harp has described Williams as a “courageous whistleblower,” arguing the disclosures exposed problems such as alleged harassment and discrimination within the unit.

Williams was arrested last week after a grand jury indictment and criminal complaint were unsealed. She will remain under home detention as the case proceeds in federal court.