Hong Kong resident Jerry Chun Shing Lee, an ex-CIA officer, pleads guilty to spying for China
- Lee admits he conspired to spy for China and unlawfully retained classified information
- Lee faces a maximum sentence of life in prison; plea deal may limit the time to 21 years
A former US intelligence officer pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges of conspiring to deliver top secret national defence information to China and unlawful retention of classified information.
Jerry Chun Shing Lee was expected to go to trial in federal court this week in Alexandria, Virginia, but a hearing to change his plea was held before US District Judge TS Ellis, who could sentence Lee to a maximum penalty of life in prison.
“I conspired to gather and send secret-level information to the government of the PRC,” Lee told Ellis at the end of Wednesday’s hearing, referring to the People’s Republic of China.
Lee acknowledged lying to officials of the US Central Intelligence Agency about the nature of his contacts with agents of China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the country’s CIA counterpart, during a series of interviews with his former employer between 2012 and 2018. Lee was a CIA officer between 1994 and 2007.
A plea agreement struck by the defendant with the government sets the recommended sentence at around 20 years in prison, although Judge Ellis is not bound to accept that advice. The deal also drops two of the three charges against Lee, including that for his retention of classified CIA information after his employment there.