Story highlights Kevin Mallory had a top secret clearance until 2012, documents say

The DOJ charged a contractor over alleged leaking earlier in June

Washington (CNN) The Justice Department announced Thursday that it had arrested and charged a former US government employee for sharing top-secret information with a Chinese government agent.

The criminal complaint states that Kevin Mallory has been charged with delivering defense information to aid a foreign government and making false statements to investigators. The Justice Department said Mallory could face a life sentence if convicted.

Court documents described Mallory as a self-employed US citizen and resident of Virginia, who graduated from Brigham Young University in 1981. They said Mallory served in multiple US military and government roles, including at defense contractors. The documents state he is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and had a top-secret security clearance until 2012.

The criminal complaint says Mallory met with a Chinese national in Shanghai during March and April 2017 who "represented himself" as working for a think tank the FBI has said is intertwined with Chinese intelligence. Mallory consented to an interview with FBI agents in late May, where he told them about a communication device the Chinese national had provided him with. He allowed the FBI to examine the device, and the Justice Department said the FBI found classified information on it, including a document marked top-secret.

The complaint said Mallory told the FBI he had received $25,000 from the Chinese in March and April, "based on his daily billable rate," and expected to receive more cash payments during a June trip.

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