Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a former CIA officer, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying for the Chinese government.
The 71-year-old Ma was born in Hong Kong and became a US citizen, worked for the CIA from 1982 to 1989 and later for the FBI as a contract in Honolulu.
He was arrested in August 2020 after admitting to an undercover FBI agent that he had sold US secrets to China.
Ma Admitted To Charges
Ma’s espionage activities began after he and a relative provided sensitive information to Chinese intelligence officers from the Shanghai State Security Bureau.
In one recorded meeting in Hong Kong, Ma was seen counting $50,000 in cash in exchange for the information.
His relative, reportedly his brother, passed away before being prosecuted.
When the FBI got suspicious of Ma’s betrayal, they hired him at the FBI’s Honolulu office to monitor his actions. He eventually admitted to his role in passing US intelligence to China.
