A State Department employee who federal prosecutors said sold U.S. economic information to China was arrested and slapped with multiple charges Wednesday.
According to Reuters, 60-year-old Candace Claiborne was picked up by law enforcement and appeared in federal court a short time later. She was charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI.
Officials said Claiborne did not report several contacts she had with Chinese intelligence agents over the years, including a 2011 encounter in which she was allegedly paid $2,500 for giving China information about U.S. economic policy in relation to China.
Claiborne, who began working at the State Department in 1999, "allegedly failed to report her contacts with Chinese foreign intelligence agents who provided her with thousands of dollars of gifts and benefits," said U.S. Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord, Reuters reports.
Claiborne has worked at overseas posts in Iraq, Sudan, and China. Her security clearance, according to the Department of Justice, provided her access to "sensitive diplomatic data."
Federal authorities kept watch on Claiborne via a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court warrant.
The charges against Claiborne were announced just ahead of an April 6 to 7 meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a time of heightened tensions between the world's two largest economies over North Korea, the South China Sea, Taiwan, and trade. China was the object of heavy criticism by Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
U.S. officials have accused China of cyber hacking U.S. government agencies and American companies in recent years.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
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