Former CIA officer accused of spying for China expected to plead guilty: reports

A former CIA officer who pleaded not guilty when he was charged last year with spying for the Chinese government is expected to change his plea to guilty, according to multiple news reports.

NBC News and CNN reported Tuesday that Jerry Chun Shing Lee, a Hong Kong native, is expected to plead guilty Wednesday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to gather or deliver national defense information to aid a foreign government after court filings Tuesday indicated that a change of plea hearing would be held the next day.

{mosads}Lee, a 13-year veteran of the intelligence agency, is accused of helping China dismantle a U.S. spy network operating on Chinese soil and identify informants who worked with U.S. officials, leading to their imprisonment and, in some cases, death.

“Lee, a former CIA case officer, allegedly conspired to provide information to the Chinese government about the national defense of the United States,” assistant Attorney General John Demers said last year.

“Lee’s alleged actions betrayed the American people and his former colleagues at the CIA. We will not tolerate such threats to our country or its national security,” Demers added at the time.

A naturalized U.S. citizen, Lee was arrested in 2012 after returning to the United States following several years of living in Hong Kong. His work to dismantle U.S. spying efforts in China reportedly led in part to the CIA’s decision to suspend human spying efforts in the country while it reevaluates its protocols for communicating with informants.

Lee’s attorney declined to comment when contacted by CNN on the state of his plea.