Pentagon Spy Sold U.S. Military Info To China

In a case that proves foreign espionage didn’t vanish with the Cold War, a high-ranking U.S. government official with top-secret clearance has been arrested for passing classified defense secrets to communist China.

A weapons system analyst for the Pentagon, Gregg Bergersen has been charged with espionage for conspiring with two Chinese nationals to provide large amounts of U.S. defense secrets to a foreign government. Bergerson was in charge of U.S. arms sales to foreign nations and he held a coveted top-secret government clearance.

The conspiracy went on for about two years and Bergersen received undetermined cash payments from China for the classified documents and files. The Chinese-born spies have also been arrested and charged.

Federal prosecutors say Bergersen and one of the Chinese spies, who is a New Orleans businessman, met at various locations in Northern Virginia, Charleston South Carolina and Las Vegas to exchange information for money.

The U.S. assistant Attorney General for National Security said this dangerous spy network has all the elements of a classic espionage operation—a foreign government focused on accessing our military secrets, foreign operatives who effectively use stealth and guile to gain that access and an American government official willing to betray his country.