Former CIA Officer Sentenced to 10 Years ⁢in Prison for‍ Spying for China

A former CIA officer of⁤ Chinese origin in the United States, born‌ in Hong ‌Kong, had previously admitted to spying for China​ and was sentenced to 10⁢ years in prison in‍ a⁣ Hawaii court on Wednesday (11). Alexander Yuk ⁤Ching Ma, 71, was arrested in 2020 and reached a plea deal with federal prosecutors‌ in May this year, admitted to conspiring to collect‌ and provide national defense intelligence to China in exchange ⁤for a 10-year sentence ⁣and five years of prison supervision.

Ma Yuqing ‍was born in Hong Kong, moved to the United States in 1968, joined the CIA in 1982, resigned⁤ seven years later, moved‌ to ‍Shanghai, and has been living in Hawaii since 2001. The case alleged that Ma Yuqing had⁣ been a‌ spy for China for ​at least 10⁢ years. In 2001, at the request of the Shanghai National Security Bureau, Ma Yuqing arranged a meeting‍ with his ‌brother, who was also a CIA member, and provided Chinese authorities⁤ with a large amount ⁤of classified US defense information. The two ‍were later paid ‌$50,000. In 2003, Ma Yuqing was hired‌ as a language expert for the FBI in Hawaii. Over the years, he often copied and stole classified documents and brought ⁤them to ⁣China in exchange for cash rewards and expensive gifts, including a new set of golf clubs.

Ma Yuqing’s Brother Died and Was Never ‍Prosecuted

On the ⁢11th, the judge ‍accepted Ma Yuqing’s plea deal and sentenced him to ‍10 years in prison, 5 years of post-prison ⁤supervision, and to cooperate with the ​U.S. government to provide more details ‍about his case. The agreement also requires ‌him to take lie detector tests for the rest‍ of his⁤ life ‌whenever the U.S. government requests. Ma Yuqing’s brother has never been prosecuted. According to court documents, his brother, who suffered⁣ from Alzheimer’s disease, has died. Ma Yuqing said in a letter to the judge that he ⁣prayed to God ⁣and the United States to forgive him for what he had done.