Former CIA Officer Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Commit Espionage
WASHINGTON D.C. (WJZ) -- A former CIA case officer plead guilty Wednesday to conspiring to give national defense information to China.
Officials said Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 54, left the department in 2007 and moved to Hong Kong where he was approached by two Chinese intelligence officers in 2010. They said the officers offered to pay him $100,000 and to take care of him "for life" in exchange for national defense information he had acquired during his time in the CIA.
Authorities claim Lee made or caused to be made a cash deposit of about $17,468 into his bank account on May 14, 2010. They said he continued to make deposits through December 2013 that added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"This is the third case in less than a year in which a former US intelligence officer has pled or been found guilty of conspiring with Chinese intelligence services to pass them national defense information," said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers. "Every one of these cases is a tragic betrayal of country and colleagues. The National Security Division will continue to prosecute individuals like Lee who abuse their former access to classified information for financial gain while threatening the security of America."
Lee faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for August 23, 2019.
