A former CIA officer was sentenced last night to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to spying for China, Reuters reported, citing BTA, citing a statement from the US Department of Justice.
Seventy-one-year-old Alexander Yuk Ching Ma struck a deal with prosecutors in May this year to plead guilty to collecting and providing China with information concerning national security, the department said in a statement.
Ma, who worked for the CIA from 1982 to 1989, conspired with his deceased relative, who also held a position in the Central Intelligence Agency. The two were recruited by Chinese intelligence in March 2001 and handed over a "large volume" of confidential information relating to US defense for $50,000, Reuters added, based on information from the US Department of Justice.