New York, Mar 20 (ANI): A United States intelligence worker has been charged with revealing national security secrets to a Chinese woman he had been dating, according to a recent criminal complaint.
Civilian defense contractor Benjamin Pierce Bishop, who works in intelligence at the US Pacific Command, had been accused of emailing the woman, who is suspected to be a 'honey-trap' spy, in May 2012 with information on existing war plans, nuclear weapons and US international relations, according to the complaint, the New York Post reports.
The complaint further charged Bishop with revealing information about the deployment of US strategic nuclear systems and the ability of the US to detect other nations' low- and medium-range ballistic missiles, to the woman over the telephone.
According to the complaint, Bishop allegedly hid his relationship with the woman from the government even though his position and security clearance required him to report any contact with foreign nationals.
The complaint further said that 12 individual documents marked 'secret' were found at Bishop's home in Honolulu by authorities conducting a covert search, even though he is not authorized to keep classified papers at home.
Defending his client, Bishop's court-appointed attorney said that Bishop, who is a lieutenant colonel in the US Army Reserve, had served the country for 29 years and would never commit any act to harm the United States.
Bishop faces one count of communicating national defense information to a person not entitled to receive it and one count of unlawfully retaining national defense documents and plans, the report added. (ANI)
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