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A former CIA officer was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison for revealing military secrets to China and potentially seeking to reveal human assets that were formerly under his responsibility.
Kevin Mallory, 62, was convicted of espionage for China in June. US District Judge T. Ellis III has sentenced less than the life sentence claimed by prosecutors, but double the defense's claim.
The former intelligence officer was convicted under the Espionage Law for providing classified information to Chinese claimants in exchange for $ 25,000.
THE TRIAL BEGINS FOR A EX-CIA ACCUSED MAN OF SPY FOR CHINA
Mallory's acts were first known by US authorities after he was randomly selected for a second visit to the Chicago O. Hare International Airport in April 2017 on a return flight from Shanghai with his son and customs officers discovered $ 16,500 in undeclared cash.
In voluntary interviews with law enforcement officials, Mallory was then caught unprepared when a Samsung phone provided by the Chinese showed him a text-based conversation between Mallory and the recruiter Chinese.
"Your subject is to obtain information, and my subject is to be paid."
"Your goal is to get information, and my goal is to get paid," Mallory wrote in a text message to his Chinese manager.
Attorney John Gibbs said the former CIA officer was desperately looking for money. What he has most valuable are the secrets of our country. The $ 25,000 received by Mallory is just an overview of what would have happened had it not been taken, Gibbs added.
FORMER CIA OFFICIAL: "ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO TALK TO": TAKE PREVENTIVE MEASURES WITHIN TENSIONS IN IRAN
The 20-year sentence comes after multiple delays, with the judge seeking to clarify the exact value of Mallory's information to the Chinese, while prosecutors and the defense were arguing over whether the defendant was trying to jeopardize the human capital.
According to the court records, prosecutors believe that Mallory sent or was intending to send evidence that would have exposed human assets described as "the Johnsons". Gibbs said that Mallory was the manager of the Johnsons when he was at home. the CIA.
Judge Ellis ruled that he could not say with certainty that Mallory had planned to expose his human property, but stated that his "long-term intentions" were grim.
"If I had concluded that the sources had been compromised … I would be imposing a much harsher punishment," said Ellis.
"If you choose to play football with another country … you have committed a crime. Do not think you can be a double agent. "
The defense argued that a long-term sentence should not be applied, underlining the small amount of money it had received from the Chinese and that it had voluntarily divulged its contacts with the Chinese to its former employers in the country. CIA.
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But the judge noted that if Mallory had received a small figure, it was because he had been surprised very early in his work with the Chinese.
Mallory's lawyers said they would seek to appeal the conviction.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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