A State Department official with access to “sensitive diplomatic data” has spent the last five years secretly mingling with Chinese intelligence agents — who showered her with cash and gifts in exchange for diplomatic and economic information, federal prosecutors say.
Candace Claiborne, 60, was charged Wednesday with obstruction of justice and making false statements to the FBI after she failed to report the alleged contacts to authorities, according to the Justice Department.
She is accused of repeatedly seeing two agents from the People’s Republic of China — who between 2011 and 2016 — gifted her with trips, tens of thousands of dollars in cash and wire transfers, and even tuition payments to a fashion school.
Writing in her journal, Claiborne once bragged that she could “generate 20k in 1 year” by working with one of the agents.
The gifts and meetings, according to a federal complaint, were never made public and were said to be done in exchange for her access to “sensitive diplomatic data.”
Claiborne — who is required to report any and all contacts with people who are affiliated with a foreign intelligence service — was arrested Tuesday and then charged the next day in a Washington federal court. She pleaded not guilty.
“As a State Department employee with a Top Secret clearance, she received training and briefing about the need for caution and transparency,” U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips said in a statement. “This case demonstrates that U.S. government employees will be held accountable for failing to honor the trust placed in them when they take on such sensitive assignments.”
After her court appearance, Claiborne was released and ordered to remain confined at her Washington home, under GPS monitoring. Her next court date is scheduled for April 18.
The veteran State Department official first joined in 1999 and has reportedly served in several different locations across the globe, including in Iraq, China and Sudan.
“Claiborne used her position and her access to sensitive diplomatic data for personal profit,” said acting Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord, who is the Justice Department’s national security division chief.
If Claiborne is convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
With Post Wires.