A former US diplomatic officer was arrested after undeclared stacks of cash were found in his bag during his trip to Shanghai, China. According to reports, Kevin Patrick Mallory from Virginia is accused of providing top-secret documents to a Chinese agent.
Mallory was arrested on Thursday, June 22, at his house in Leesburg, Virginia, for sharing secret documents using illicit communications during his trip to China. According to an affidavit, the former diplomatic officer is said to have travelled to the country in March and April.
The Army veteran was caught with $16,500 when he arrived at Chicago airport. Mallory was charged under federal Espionage Act and could face life in prison, according to Associated Press.
In May, Mallory had told FBI that during his visit in March and April, he met a person who worked for a Chinese think-tank, the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS). He told FBI that the only documents he provided to the person in China were "unclassified blacked out security classification documents." Analysis of the documents revealed that they were top-secret documents.
If convicted of the first charge, the 60-year-old former officer could face life in prison and could also be eligible for death penalty if certain conditions are met.
Here is what you need to know about Kevin Patrick Mallory and why he was arrested.
College and work
Kevin, a US citizen, resides in Leesburg, Virginia. In 1981, he graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA degree in Political Science. He worked full-time in an active duty military position for five years.
Worked as a special agent
For three years, starting from 1987, he worked as a Special Agent for the State Department Diplomatic Security Service. From 1990, he joined various government agencies for the US. He worked as a CIA officer and was stationed in Iraq, China and Taiwan.
Mallory's security clearance terminated
The 60-year-old obtained a top-secret security clearance during his career, but it got terminated after he left service in October 2012.
His new company
Mallory started a company GlobalEx in 2010 and worked as a consultant. He told FBI in his interview that he was in China for a week, as he had company related work.
Criminal complaint charging Mallory with offences
According to the affidavit, he is believed to have violated 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (Making Material False Statements) and 18 U.S.C. § 794 (Gathering or Delivering Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government).
Mallory received a communication device from the Chinese agents
In his interview to FBI, Mallory revealed that someone contacted him on social media in February. He also confessed that he received a device, which was supposed to be used for private communication, from the Chinese agents when he visited Shanghai.
Mallory wanted to share more documents
The communication device he received from the Chinese agent revealed that Mallory was planning to share more documents. "I can also come in the middle of June, I can bring the remainder of the documents I have at that time," the message read.
