Ex-CIA agent 05252024

Agence France-Presse

<p>WASHINGTON — A former CIA agent pleaded guilty Friday to spying for China, the US Department of Justice announced.</p><p>Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, a native of Hong Kong who became a naturalized US citizen, admitted to having provided &quot;a large volume of classified US national defense information&quot; to Chinese authorities in 2001, even though he hadn&#x27;t been employed by the CIA for 12 years.</p><p>According to the Justice Department statement, Ma&#x27;s meeting with representatives of the Shanghai State Security Bureau was initiated by another former CIA agent, Ma&#x27;s blood relative who was born in Shanghai and who also became a naturalized American, identified in the agency&#x27;s statement as &quot;co-conspirator #1&quot;.</p><p>At the end of the third day of the meeting in a Hong Kong hotel, Chinese &quot;intelligence officers provided CC #1 with $50,000 in cash, which Ma counted,&quot; the statement said.</p><p>&quot;Ma and CC #1 also agreed at that time to continue to assist&quot; Chinese intelligence.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/5/14/uk-summons-chinese-envoy-over-interference-espionage-2027" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: UK summons Chinese envoy over &#x27;interference&#x27;, espionage</a></div><p>In 2003, Ma was hired as a linguist by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Hawaii &quot;as part of an investigative plan, to work at an off-site location where his activities could be monitored&quot; and his contacts with China could be probed.</p><p>In 2006, Ma &quot;convinced CC #1 to provide the identities of at least two individuals depicted in photographs that were provided to Ma&quot; by Chinese intelligence.</p><p>Ma confessed that the information given as well as what he provided in 2001 &quot;would be used to injure the United States or to benefit&quot; Chinese authorities.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/09/11/23/spies-hackers-informants-how-china-snoops-on-the-west" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: Spies, hackers, informants: How China &#x27;snoops&#x27; on the West</a></div><p>Ma worked for the FBI until 2012, and it was unclear from the statement how he was unmasked.</p><p>If accepted by the courts, the guilty plea agreement, which ensures that Ma would cooperate with US authorities, provides for a 10-year prison sentence for him which could be handed down on September 11.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_dOW5y9wCSs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>Ma confessed that the information given as well as what he provided in 2001 "would be used to injure the United States or to benefit" Chinese authorities.</p>

Ma confessed that the information given as well as what he provided in 2001 "would be used to injure the United States or to benefit" Chinese authorities.

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Ex-CIA agent pleads guilty to spying for China

Ex-CIA agent pleads guilty to spying for China

Agence France-Presse

Published May 25, 2024 11:06 AM PHT

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China

US

US Department of Jusitce

Central Intelligence Agency

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