Former CIA officer, FBI employee gets 10 years in prison for spying on behalf of China

"Under the terms of the plea agreement, Ma must cooperate with the United States for the rest of his life, including by submitting to debriefings by U.S. government agencies," DOJ said.

By Nicholas Ballasy

Published: September 12, 2024 1:46pm

A former CIA officer, Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for "conspiracy to commit espionage" on behalf of the Chinese government.

The 71 year old, a naturalised U.S. citizen originally born in Hong Kong, was arrested in August 2020 after "admitting to an undercover FBI agent that he sold US secrets to China," according to the Justice Department.

He worked for the CIA from 1982 to 1989 and later for the FBI "part time at an offsite location" from August 2004 until October 2012.

"Under the terms of the plea agreement, Ma must cooperate with the United States for the rest of his life, including by submitting to debriefings by U.S. government agencies," DOJ said. "At the sentencing hearing, government counsel told the court that Ma has been cooperative and has taken part in multiple interview sessions with government agents."