A former U.S. government employee, Kevin Mallory, 60, of Leesburg, Va., was arrested Thursday for allegedly attempting to provide top-secret documents to China, The Associated Press reported.

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“Kevin Mallory was previously entrusted with top secret clearance and therefore had access to classified information, which he allegedly shared and planned to continue sharing with representatives of a foreign government,” Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Andrew Vale said in a statement.

“Furthermore, he allegedly misled investigators in a voluntary interview about sharing of this classified information. The FBI will continue to investigate those individuals who put our national security at risk through unauthorized disclosures of information,” he continued.

Mallory, a self-employed consultant who has been charged under the federal espionage act, is accused of taking top-secret documents with him when he left the government in 2012, according to NBC4.

He is charged with gathering or delivering defense information to aid a foreign government, as well as making material false statements, according to the Justice Department.Court documents said Mallory, who worked as a special agent for the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, met with individuals he thought were Chinese operatives during a visit to Shanghai in March and April.

Court documents said Mallory, who worked as a special agent for the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, met with individuals he thought were Chinese operatives during a visit to Shanghai in March and April.

Mallory, who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, reportedly had $16,000 in his carry-on bags when he returned from Shanghai in April.