Top secret information given by US man to Chinese agent
On charges of giving information to a Chinese agent a former US diplomatic officer has been arrested.
Kevin Mallory, a 60 year old man from Virginia is said to have travelled to Shanghai in March and April of 2017.
Mr Mallory had also failed to declare $16,500 (£13,000) in cash which was found in two carry on bags when travelling through Chicago airport, said the Associated Press.
Mr Mallory under the federal Espionage Act, could face life in prison.
While working for the government, he had been entrusted with high level clearance, the FBI has confirmed.
However his access had been rescinded when he had ceased to be a state employee in 2012, after which he became a self-employed consultant.
Mr Mallory while giving a voluntary interview to the FBI agents in May, said that the person he met in Shanghai had told him he was working for a Chinese think-tank, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS).
The FBI has, since at least 2014, believed that Chinese spies use SASS affiliations to cover-up their identities, according to the US Department of Justice.
The affidavit also detailed a note Mr Mallory allegedly wrote to the individual, saying “your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid.”
On Thursday, 22nd June 2017, Mr Mallory, who speaks Chinese Mandarin, made an initial appearance in court, and will return for a prelimin8ary hearing on Friday.
Dana J Boente, acting assistant attorney general for national security said that”These charges should send a message to anyone who would consider violating the public’s trust and compromising our national security by disclosing classified information.”
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