TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – On Sept. 24, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a U.S. citizen turned Chinese spy was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for the crime of attempted espionage and operating as an unregistered foreign agent.
A former Army veteran, Ron Rockwell Hansen, who is 60 years old, was arrested in the summer of 2018 after investigations revealed he had been taking cash payments from Chinese government officials. Hansen plead guilty in court to betraying his oath and the U.S. in exchange for financial gain during his time as a field agent manager at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), between 2013 and 2016.
According to the press release from the DOJ, Hansen is one of three ex-U.S. intelligence officers convicted for serving the interests of China and acting against the interests of the U.S. Assistant Attorney General of National Security John C. Demers was quoted in the press release.
“Ron Rockwell Hansen received hundreds of thousands of dollars for betraying his country and former colleagues. These cases show the breadth of the Chinese government’s espionage efforts and the threat they pose to our national security. Our intelligence professionals swear an oath to protect our country’s most closely held secrets and the National Security Division will continue to relentlessly pursue justice against those who violate this oath.”
Facing possible life in prison for crimes of attempted espionage, acting as an Chinese agent, smuggling financial instruments, structuring bank transactions, and smuggling classified U.S. property, Hansen ultimately agreed to a plea bargain. According to terms of the agreement, Hansen forfeit any and all property related to his crimes or purchased through use of illegally obtained funds from China.
He also admitted in his statement that he knowingly provided info that would be used to the detriment of the U.S. and to the advantage of a foreign nation. His sentence was handed down Tuesday in a Federal District Court in Salt Lake City, according to the Press Release.
