Former CIA Officer Gets 10 Years in Prison

A former CIA officer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for betraying the U.S. by spying for China, accepting cash and gifts in exchange for classified information.

At a Glance

Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 71, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to China.
Ma received cash, golf clubs, and other expensive gifts for his espionage activities.
The plea deal includes submitting to polygraph tests for life and cooperating with U.S. agencies.
Ma expressed remorse in a letter to the judge, hoping for forgiveness from God and America.
Without the plea deal, Ma faced up to life in prison for his actions.

Former CIA Officer Sentenced for Spying

Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a 71-year-old former CIA officer and FBI contract linguist, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for spying for China. Ma pleaded guilty to conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to a foreign government, a charge that could have resulted in a life sentence without the plea agreement.

Born in Hong Kong, Ma became a U.S. citizen in 1975 and joined the CIA in 1982. He resigned from the agency in 1989 and lived in Shanghai before returning to Hawaii in 2001. It was then that Ma’s espionage activities began, arranging an introduction between Chinese intelligence officers and his brother, a former CIA case officer.

Ex-CIA officer gets 10 years in prison for spying for China https://t.co/aVSQTywsoz pic.twitter.com/urS1Fq5LaI

— Reuters (@Reuters) September 12, 2024

Espionage Activities and Sting Operation

In 2003, Ma applied for an FBI linguist job and was hired in 2004, unknowingly as part of an effort to monitor his espionage activities. Over the next six years, Ma stole classified documents, often taking them to China, and received cash and gifts in return. The betrayal continued until Ma accepted cash and expressed support for China to an undercover FBI agent.

Ma’s espionage activities included providing the identities of at least two people of interest to the Shanghai State Security Bureau in 2006. The depth of his betrayal became clear when he confessed to conspiring with his partner and the Chinese intelligence agency to transmit information against the United States.

Plea Deal and Sentencing

The plea deal Ma accepted includes submitting to polygraph tests for life and cooperating with U.S. agencies in extensive debriefing sessions. These sessions, described as “lengthy, and sometimes grueling,” have reportedly provided valuable information to the government.

“I hope God and America will forgive me for what I have done,” Ma wrote in a letter to the judge, expressing remorse for his actions.

Ma cited his brother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s and has since died, as a reason for not reporting the crime earlier. Ma explained, “He was like a father figure to me. In a way, I am also glad that he left this world, as that made me free to admit what I did.”

The case of Alexander Yuk Ching Ma serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing counterintelligence threats faced by the United States. It underscores the importance of vigilance and the consequences of betraying one’s country for personal gain. As the nation continues to grapple with espionage challenges, Ma’s sentence sends a clear message to those who might consider similar actions: justice will be served, no matter how long it takes.