A former official of the Central Intelligence Agency was arrested on charges of conspiring with a relative, who also worked as spy.
A former official of the Central Intelligence Agency was arrested on charges of conspiring with a relative, who also worked for the CIA, to spy on China. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 67, was arrested and charged Friday, the US Department of Justice said. He is accused of revealing to Chinese intelligence officials sensitive national security knowledge. It is the latest intelligence arrest between Washington and Beijing at a time of increasing uncertainty. Mr Ma is due to appear in court on Tuesday and if convicted, faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Mr Ma, a Hong Kong-born naturalized US citizen, started working for the CIA in 1982.
Seven years later, prosecutors said he left the CIA and served in Shanghai Chinese City, before moving to Hawaii in 2001. They accuse Mr Ma and his relative of spying for China in a scheme which started in March 2001 with meetings in Hong Kong over the course of a decade. The ex-CIA officers suspect of sharing information with the Chinese intelligence service “about the CIA ‘s staff, activities, and methods of covering communications.” Part of their Hong Kong meeting capturing on videotape and shows Mr Ma counting $50,000 (£38,000) in cash for the secrets they exchange, stating the release.
When residing in Hawaii, court records state, he then tries to collaborate with the FBI to once again obtain access to confidential US government information to pass on to China. He hires as a contract linguist by the FBI’s Honolulu office in 2004 and suspects of stealing classified identifying papers. It remains uncertain why the arrest of Mr Ma took so long. The unnamed relative Mr Ma’s conspired with is now 85 years old with whom prosecutors say. He also a naturalize United States citizen, born in Shanghai.















