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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 12 sepTember 2024
Ex-CIA officer who spied for China faces prison time and a

lifetime of polygraph tests

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLE- Americans knew he was
HER collaborating with Chinese
Associated Press intelligence officers, and
HONOLULU (AP) — A for- they hired him in 2004 so
mer CIA officer and con- they could keep an eye on
tract linguist for the FBI who his espionage activities.
received cash, golf clubs Over the following six years,
and other expensive gifts he regularly copied, pho-
in exchange for spying for tographed and stole clas-
China faces a decade in sified documents, prosecu-
prison if a U.S. judge ap- tors said. He often took
proves his plea agreement them on trips to China, re-
Wednesday. turning with thousands of
Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, dollars in cash and expen-
71, made a deal in May sive gifts, including a new
with federal prosecutors, set of golf clubs, prosecu-
who agreed to recom- tors said.
mend the 10-year term in At one point in 2006, his han-
exchange for his guilty plea dlers at the Shanghai State
to a count of conspiracy to Security Bureau asked Ma
gather or deliver national to get his brother to help
defense information to a identify four people in pho-
foreign government. The This image contained in the criminal complaint against Alexander Yuk Ching Ma shows a tographs, and the brother
deal also requires him to screenshot made from a video by an FBI undercover employee taken of Ma in January 2019 did identify two of them.
submit to polygraph tests, during a meeting. During a sting operation,
whenever requested by Associated Press Ma accepted thousands of
the U.S. government, for jects the 10-year sentence. and at the behest of Chi- ator #1” provided the in- dollars in cash in exchange
the rest of his life. Ma was born in Hong Kong, nese intelligence officers, telligence officers a “large for past espionage activi-
“I hope God and America moved to Honolulu in 1968 he agreed to arrange an volume of classified and ties, and he told an under-
will forgive me for what I and became a U.S. citizen introduction between offi- sensitive information,” ac- cover FBI agent posing as a
have done,” Ma, who has in 1975. He joined the CIA cers of the Shanghai State cording to the document. Chinese intelligence officer
been in custody since his in 1982, was assigned over- Security Bureau and his They were paid $50,000; that he wanted to see the
2020 arrest, wrote in a letter seas the following year, older brother who had also prosecutors said they had “motherland” succeed,
to Chief U.S. District Judge and resigned in 1989. He served as a CIA case offi- an hourlong video from the prosecutors have said.
Derrick Watson in Honolulu held a top secret security cer. meeting that showed Ma The brother was never pros-
ahead of his sentencing. clearance, according to During a three-day meet- counting the money. ecuted. He suffered from
Without the deal, Ma faced court documents. ing in a Hong Kong hotel Two years later, Ma applied debilitating symptoms of
up to life in prison. He is al- Ma lived and worked in room that year, Ma’s broth- for a job as a contract lin- Alzheimer’s disease and
lowed to withdraw from the Shanghai, China, before er identified in the plea guist in the FBI’s Honolulu has since died, court docu-
agreement if Watson re- returning to Hawaii in 2001, agreement as “Co-conspir- field office. By then, the ments say.q

Omaha school shooting began with a fight between 2 boys, court

documents say

By JOSH FUNK about half an hour after and if his family was able Court documents say a Omaha hospital, but Of-
Associated Press the shooting was reported to post bond the suspect security camera at the ficer Michael Pecha said it
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The just after midday. would be required to wear school showed the victim wasn’t immediately clear
shooting that critically in- Bond was set at $275,000, a GPS monitor. approach the suspect be- whether his injuries could
jured a 15-year-old at an fore the fight began. The still be life-threatening be-
Omaha high school Tues- suspect had his right hand cause he faces additional
day began with a physical inside the pocket of his surgeries.
fight between two boys hooded sweatshirt before The shooting sent students
before one used a gun hid- firing once and the victim running at Northwest High
den inside his hoodie to dropped to the ground. School before officials
shoot the other in the stom- The video showed the sus- locked the school down.
ach, according to court pect holding the gun be- Once police secured the
documents. fore putting it back in his building, students were
The 14-year-old suspect ap- pocket and leaving. gradually released to their
peared in court Wednes- Police recovered the gun families classroom by class-
day afternoon and was they believe was used in room Tuesday afternoon.
charged as an adult with the shooting Tuesday eve- Classes at the school were
first-degree felony assault, ning after searching the canceled on Wednesday.
two weapons charges and neighborhood around the The Omaha Police Depart-
tampering with evidence. Artemis Else, right, hugs Angie Caswell as they wait outside high school. ment said several threats
He was arrested a few Northwest high school after a shooting was reported Tuesday, The victim of the shooting to other area schools were
blocks away from Oma- Sept. 10, 2024, in Omaha, Neb. remained in stable con- made on social media af-
ha’s Northwest High School Associated Press dition Wednesday at an ter Tuesday’s shooting. q