Alexandria, United States: A former CIA case agent has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for an espionage conspiracy with China.

Former CIA officer erry Chun Shing Lee pleaded guilty in May. Credit:AP

Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 55, was sentenced in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, after his guilty plea earlier this year.

He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage, but prosecutors and defence lawyers disagreed about the extent of the crime.

Prosecutors say Chinese intelligence officers gave Lee more than $US840,000 ($1.2 million) and that Lee likely gave them all the information he had from a 13-year career as a CIA case officer. They sought a prison term of more than 20 years.