ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A Detroit man who applied for jobs in the State Department and CIA admitted Friday he had agreed to spy for China.
Glen Duffie Shriver, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Va., to conspiring to provide national defense information, the U.S. Justice Department said.
"Mr. Shriver threw away his education, his career and his future when he chose to position himself to spy for the PRC," said Neil MacBride, U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. "He failed to appreciate that the PRC simply created a 'friendship' with him to use him. It's a valuable lesson to others who might be tempted to do the same."
While officials say no classified information changed hands, Shriver received $70,000 from China for his "friendship." He was first approached by intelligence agents while he was living in China in 2004.
Shriver applied to be a foreign service officer with the State Department and to join the CIA, keeping his Chinese handlers apprised of his efforts, investigators said. He also lied on his CIA application.
He faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced.
