A former FBI employee with access to classified information in the bureau faces up to ten years in prison after pleading guilty to espionage charges, US prosecutors said on Monday.

Chinese-born Kun Shan Chun, 46, was found to have provided sensitive US government information to the Chinese government during his long stint with the FBI, the prosecutors said.

Like Us on Facebook

Chun was arrested in March by US authorities and is currently detained on charges of acting as a spy for China. He reportedly passed on classified US information to Beijing officials who allegedly showered him with money, services of sex workers, and expensive hotel accommodations.

Ten years

Prosecutors said Chun, who joined the FBI in 1997, faces up to ten years imprisonment after committing grave violations, one of which was his failure to disclose that he met with a Chinese national during his trip overseas

"Kun Shan Chun violated our nation's trust by exploiting his official position to provide restricted and sensitive FBI information to the Chinese Government," Assistant Attorney General John Carlin of the US Justice Department said.

In a criminal complaint filed against Chun, prosecutors accused him of secretly entering into a joint venture with a Chinese technology company called Kolion.

 Expensive perks

The complaint also charged Chun with passing on vital information to the company in exchange for rewards.

As an electronic technician at the FBI, Chun had access to sensitive and classified information which he passed on to the Chinese government, the criminal complaint said.

Chun's legal counsel, Jonathan Marvinny, said he made a deal with the prosecutors to drop the lying charges against his client if Chun would plead guilty to espionage.

The FBI has stepped up its campaign to thwart Chinese espionage including economic sabotage allegedly being perpetrated by Beijing and Russia.

TagsFBI, espionage, Washington, Beijing, economic sabotage, china