A State Department staffer was sentenced on Sept. 4 to four years in prison for selling defense intelligence to individuals believed to be working for the Chinese government.
Michael Schena, 42, was a South Caribbean desk officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department’s Washington headquarters and held a top secret security clearance, allowing him access to information that could “cause exceptionally grave damage” to national security, according to court documents.
Between April 2022 and February 2025, prosecutors said, Schena sent copies of a variety of documents to handlers he met online, receiving more than $10,000 in return.
While two of these people represented themselves as part of international consulting companies, there were clear signs they worked on behalf of Beijing. Believing these were Chinese state agents, Schena nonetheless continued his relationship with them, according to the Justice Department….
State Department Officer Gets 4 Years in Prison for Selling Defense Secrets to China
