US State Department employee China case – CWEB.com
Candace Marie Claiborne is a U.S. State Department employee who possesses a Top Secret security clearance and allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits,” Acting Assistant Attorney General McCord stated after announcing the charges Wednesday. “Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit. Pursuing those who imperil our national security for personal gain will remain a key priority of the National Security Division.
She was arrested on Tuesday. In court on Wednesday she pleaded not guilty.
Ms Claiborne started working for the state department in 1999 and served at a number of foreign missions, including Iraq, Sudan and China.
She had a top secret security clearance, and was required to report any contacts with persons suspected of affiliation with a foreign intelligence agency, the justice department said in a statement.
“Claiborne failed to report repeated contacts with two intelligence agents of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), even though these agents provided tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and benefits to Claiborne and her family over five years,” it said.
She was accused of receiving almost $2,500 ( £2,010) from a Chinese agent in 2011 in exchange for information about US economic policy in relation to China.
