‘My object is to be paid’: ex-CIA officer Kevin Mallory jailed for 20 years for spying for China in exchange for US$25,000
- 62-year-old was convicted for providing classified information to Chinese handlers, with prosecutors arguing he sought to expose human CIA assets
- His scheme began to unravel when he was caught at with US$16,500 in unreported cash after returning to US from Shanghai
A former CIA officer was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison on charges that he spied for China and allegations he sought to expose human assets who were once his responsibility.
The sentence issued by US District Judge T.S. Ellis III in federal court in Alexandria for Kevin Mallory, 62, of Leesburg, Virginia, is less than the life sentence sought by prosecutors but more than the 10-year term requested by the defence.
Mallory’s scheme began to unravel when he was selected for secondary screening at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in April 2017 on a flight back from Shanghai with his son and customs agents found US$16,500 in unreported cash.
Later, in voluntary interviews with authorities, Mallory was caught off guard when a Samsung phone given to him by the Chinese displayed text conversations between Mallory and the Chinese recruiter – Mallory had expected the phone’s secure messaging features would keep the conversation hidden.