(Reuters) - A former employee of a U.S. defense contractor has pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to sell sensitive satellite information to a person he believed was a Russian intelligence agent, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday.

Gregory Allen Justice, 49, of California is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18 and faces a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison for attempting to violate the Arms Export Control Act, the department said in a statement.