Jury convicts former CIA officer

ALEXANDRIA, VA. >> A former CIA officer was convicted Friday on charges he spied for China by providing top-secret information in exchange for $25,000.

Kevin Mallory, 61, of Leesburg, Virginia, faces up to life in prison, although federal sentences are often less than the maximum. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 21.

Mallory was charged under the Espionage Act last year after he was discovered with more than $16,000 in undeclared cash on a return flight from Shanghai. Prosecutors said he was desperate for cash and transmitted classified information to a Chinese handler.

His acts were far from isolated as China actively tries to gather classified U.S. information, federal prosecutors said immediately after his espionage conviction.

Mallory’s trial offered a rare glimpse into the world of espionage. Most cases end in plea deals because the government is concerned about exposing secrets, while defendants are worried about potentially stiff sentences.

Defense lawyers said Mallory provided no information of consequence.

The spycraft, as laid out by prosecutors, was hardly reminiscent of James Bond. The Chinese gave Mallory a Samsung cellphone for covert communication that was activated with the password “password.”

The phone, with a variation of an app called WeChat, was supposed to delete text conversations Mallory had with his Chinese handler.

But when Mallory gave the phone to FBI agents investigating his conduct, the phone mistakenly provided long histories of text chats.