Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a 71-year-old former CIA officer, was sentenced to ten years in prison on September 11 for espionage on behalf of China, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).
Breaches in U.S. Intelligence
Ma had pleaded guilty in May to charges of conspiring to collect and deliver national defense information to China.
Ma, who worked for the CIA from 1982 to 1989, was arrested in August 2020 after he confessed to an undercover FBI agent that he had been involved in passing confidential information to Chinese security services.
The DoJ's announcement sheds light on Ma's involvement in the case, which outlines significant breaches in U.S. intelligence security.
$50,000 in cash
Documents reveal that Ma was approached by Chinese intelligence in 2001 and was asked to provide information about a deceased relative who had also been a CIA officer.
During a meeting in a Hong Kong hotel, Ma was reportedly given $50,000 in cash in exchange for classified information.
In 2003, Ma applied for a position as a translator with the FBI's Hawaii office. Although the FBI was aware of Ma's connections to Chinese intelligence, they recruited him with the intention of monitoring his activities.
He worked part-time with the FBI from August 2004 until October 2012, while being observed for his ties to Chinese espionage efforts.
