Counterintelligence - Espionage - Spy Case

Name	LEUNG, Katrina aka Man Ying Chan, Wen Ying Chen, LUO Zhongshan		SMITH, James J. aka JJ
Employer	Asset of FBI		FBI
Dates of Employment	1982-2002		October 1970-retired in November 2000
Employee Type	Asset		Staff
Job Title/Duties	FBI asset recruited by Smith in 1982. As an asset, Leung's job was to collect counterintelligence information from the People's Republic of China (PRC) and provide it to the FBI.   Paid $1.7M as asset for services and expenses.		Supervisory Special Agent   Specialized in Chinese counterintelligence matters. Recruiter and Handler of Leung   Supervisor of FBI's LA Field Office's FCI China squad   Was involved in the investigation into whether China tried to funnel money into the 1996 US elections in a bid to gain influence
Military Rank			Vietnam veteran
Clearance Level			TS
Spying For	People's Republic of China (PRC) Allegedly covertly working for Chinese intelligence service MSS, alias "Luo"
Codename	Parlor Maid
Spying Dates
Co-conspirators	JJ Smith		Katrina Leung
Methodology	SMITH routinely debriefed Leung at her residence and on occasion took classified documents there and left them unattended. Leung surreptitiously photocopied some of them, and documents she obtained in this manner have been recovered from her residence. Investigation has revealed that from August 1983 until December 2002, SMITH and Leung had a sexual relationship. Investigation has also revealed that in 1991, SMITH learned Leung was providing classified information to PRC intelligence services without authorization by SMITH or the FBI, after which SMITH continued to allow Leung access to classified information.
Possible Motivations, Problems
Finances
Identified/ Investigation
Arrest Date/Location	Wednesday, April 9, 2003 in California
Charges	Charged with illegally obtaining secret documents to the advantage of a foreign power		Charged with gross negligence in allowing Leung access to classified material
Court	U.S. District Court in Los Angeles   PROSECUTION: US Attorney Debra Yang
Lawyers	Attorneys for Katrina Leung: Janet I. Levine and John D. Vandevelde of Lightfoot, Vandevelde, Sadowsky, Medvene & Levine of Los Angeles		Attorneys for James Smith: Brian Sun of O'Neill, Lysaght and Sun, Santa Monica, CA   Was also attorney for: -California businessman Johnny Chung, one of the key figures in the Democratic fund-raising controversy -Tsi Lai Temple (Gore Fundraiser) -Wen Ho Lee   and Paul Murphy of O'Neill, Lysaght and Sun, Santa Monica, CA
Status	Case Dismissed for misconduct: Thursday, January 6, 2005 Pled guilty to making a false statement and filing a false tax return
Date/Place of Birth	1 May 1954, Canton, China
Citizenship	Permanent resident alien on 7 Aug 1972
Residences	San Marino, CA		Giuldhall Court, Westlake Village, CA
Education	1976: graduated from Cornell University and a few years later, received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Chicago
Family	Married, one son		Married, one son
Other Employment	1980: Upon arriving in Los Angeles, she became the general manager of an import-export company suspected of engaging in the illegal transfer of technology form the US to the PRC.
Additional Bio	Southern California Republican political activist   One of the Directors of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council
Documents	FBI Press Release (9 April 2003)   James J. Smith Affidavit (9 April 2003)   Katrina Leung Affidavit (9 April 2003)   UNITED STATES v. JAMES J. SMITH (May 12, 2004) The New Plea Agreement By A Former FBI Agent To Charges That He Lied By Making A False Statements To Federal Agents By Concealing His "Improper Intimate Relationship With An FBI Asset" Who He Was Charged With Handling
Quotes	"James Smith was once a special agent, sworn to uphold the rule of law and the high ethical standards of the FBI. According to today's charges, former Agent Smith not only betrayed the trust the FBI placed in him, he betrayed the American people he was sworn to protect."--FBI Director Robert Mueller   "This is as shocking as if someone you know had been shot and killed."--an FBI agent at the Los Angeles field office   "They are just the nicest people. I find it really hard to believe. They must have something wrong. This is a 'Leave it to Beaver' neighborhood. They were like the Cleavers."--Lisa Otis-Kisor, a Westlake Village, California neighbor of James Smith, his wife and son   "It would be inappropriate for the FBI to suggest that they were not aware of the potential risks and problems of using Ms. Leung as an asset, particularly since 1991. For them to lay it at my client's doorstep and say he was the only one who knew she was a potential problem is flat-out wrong."--Smith's Attorney Brian Sun
Case Links	A Review of the FBI's Handling and Oversight of FBI Asset Katrina Leung, Special Report ...(USDOJ/IG, 24 May 06)   FBI Responds to OIG Report on the Handling of Former Asset Leung (FBI Press Release, 24 May 06)   FBI Headquarters   FBI Los Angeles Field Office   Understanding Chinese Intelligence: (op-eds by Dr. Paul Moore)   "China's Subtle Spying" Sept 1999, New York Times   "How China Plays the Ethnic Card" June 1999, Los Angeles Times   "Spies of a Different Stripe" May 1999, New York Times   "Is China Spooked?" August 2001, Washington Post
BOOKS/VIDEOS	Frontline: From China With Love

News:

Failures of intelligence, the leaking of our secrets

ENEMIES: HOW AMERICA'S FOES STEAL OUR VITAL SECRETS -- AND HOW WE LET IT HAPPEN, by Bill Gertz

One of the more disgusting stories, among many, Mr. Gertz tells is the first full account of two agents in the FBI's San Francisco field office who had "illicit, long-term sexual affairs" with a Chinese Communist agent, Katrina Leung. Code-named "Parlor Maid," she also worked for the bureau as a supposed double agent. One of her "lovers" (in context, perhaps a bad choice of words) was William Cleveland, a supervisory agent who ran FBI counterintelligence on the West Coast. The pattern lasted for years: Mr. Cleveland would first debrief Parlor Maid, then take her to bed, at hotels here and there. And Mr. Cleveland suspected, accurately, that the agent directly controlling her, J. J. Smith, also enjoyed her sexual favors….(Washington Times, 12 Nov 06)

Judge OKs Plea Deal in Spy Case

Closing its books on a troubled spy case, the government on Friday allowed a former FBI operative who had been accused of being a Chinese double-agent to plead guilty to lying about a sexual affair and filing a false income tax return. Approving a plea bargain between prosecutors and defense lawyers, U.S. District Judge Florence Marie Cooper sentenced Katrina Leung to three years' probation and fined her $10,000 but spared her from serving any time in prison…..(LA Times, 17 Dec 05)

Ex-FBI Agent Faces Charges in Spy Case

A former FBI agent assigned to hunt Chinese spies carried on a lengthy affair with an alleged Chinese double agent and allowed her access to classified documents, federal prosecutors charged Wednesday.  According to an FBI affidavit, the former agent, James J. Smith, 59, recruited Katrina Leung, a Republican political activist in California, in the early 1980s to become an FBI "asset" and became her "handler" seeking information about the People's Republic of China......(AP, 9 April 03)

Chinese-American Held for Spying in L.A.

A Chinese-American woman helping U.S. government agents as "an asset" on China allegedly stole classified documents from an FBI agent who was both her contact and her lover and sent them to China, prosecutors said on Wednesday. Katrina Leung, 49, was arrested along with her lover, retired FBI Agent James J. Smith, 59. She was charged with obtaining documents related to national defense for the advantage of a foreign nation.....(Reuters, 9 April 03)

Ex-FBI man, Chinese lover held in spy case

A retired FBI agent was arrested Wednesday on charges he repeatedly allowed his Chinese lover, who was allegedly also a double agent working for the Peoples Republic of China, to have access to sensitive documents in his briefcase......(UPI, 9 April 03)

Ex-FBI Agent Is Arrested in China Espionage Case

Federal authorities Wednesday arrested a former senior FBI counterintelligence agent in Los Angeles and a prominent local Chinese American businesswoman and charged that his negligence and her work as a double agent compromised secret U.S. documents.....(Los Angeles Times, 10 April 03)

Ex-FBI Agent, Longtime 'Asset' Arrested in Spy Case

A top FBI counterintelligence agent gave a suspected Chinese spy access to voluminous amounts of classified information during an alleged 20-year affair between the two, according to documents unsealed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles yesterday.....(Washington Post, 10 April 03)

Ex-F.B.I. Agent Is Accused of Passing Secrets to Lover

A Chinese-American woman in Southern California who worked as an informer for the F.B.I. took numerous top-secret documents from her bureau handler, who was also her longtime lover, and she passed secrets on to Chinese government......(New York Times, 10 April 03)

Ex-agent for FBI arrested in theft

Federal prosecutors have arrested a former FBI agent considered an expert in Chinese counterintelligence on charges of allowing unauthorized access to classified information to a woman now believed to be a Chinese agent.....(Washington Times, 10 April 03)

FBI Chief Decries Espionage Discovery

In what FBI Director Robert Mueller calls "a sad day" for the bureau, federal prosecutors said a former agent responsible for tracking down Chinese spies had an affair with an alleged Chinese double agent and allowed her access to classified documents......(AP, 10 April 03)

San Marino woman accused of spying on U.S. for China

A Republican fund-raiser active in Los Angeles politics was arrested Wednesday on spying charges, accused of being a double agent who stole national secrets, even smuggling documents into China during Mayor James Hahn's trade mission in November.......(Pasadena Star News, 10 April 03)

Woman accused of spying for China is prominent SoCal community leader

The woman authorities say used a decades-long affair with a retired FBI agent to spy for China is a high-profile Republican activist who mingles freely with corporate titans and prominent politicians.....(AP, 10 April 03)

Amorous 'Spy' & FBI Guy

- A Chinese-American "Mata Hari" was arrested yesterday along with her lover, a former FBI agent, and charged with possessing stolen documents she planned to send to China........(New York Post, 10 April 03)

Ex-FBI agent accused of sharing documents with spy.....(Miami Herald, 10 April 03)

Ex-FBI agent, Chinese GOP activist charged in case involving classified information.....(USA Today, 10 April 03)

FBI retiree, lover held in spy case.....(Knight Ridder News, 10 April 03)

Spy suspicions unexamined for years

Eight times during the two decades that Katrina Leung was paid about $1.7 million by the FBI to spy on the Chinese government, U.S. agents in California discussed the possibility that she might be a double agent for China. At least once, a report of the agents' suspicions reached FBI headquarters here.......(USA Today, 11 April 03)

FBI woman 'spied for China'

A Chinese-American woman who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been accused of spying for Beijing....(BBC, 11 April 03)

Ex-FBI Agent Resigns Post at Nuclear Weapons Lab

One of two retired FBI agents linked to an emerging Chinese spy scandal yesterday resigned his post as a senior counterintelligence official at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which stripped him of his security clearances and launched an investigation of his nine-year tenure.....(Washington Post, 11 April 03)

Spy scandal fallout in Livermore

A top security official at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory resigned Thursday after he was linked to an alleged Chinese spy scandal and love triangle involving a Los Angeles socialite and a retired FBI agent......(San Francisco Chronicle, 11 April 03)

Second ex-FBI agent resigns from lab

A second former FBI agent who acknowledged an affair with a suspected Chinese double agent has resigned his sensitive security post at a California nuclear weapons lab....(AP, 11 April 03)

F.B.I. Never Gave Agent in Spy Case a Polygraph

A former F.B.I. agent arrested on Wednesday in an espionage case had not been given a polygraph test in his nearly 30 years with the bureau, and lax oversight of his relationship with an informer now accused of being a Chinese double-agent appears to have violated numerous policies......(New York Times, 11 April 03)

Arrest May Lead to FBI Changes

As the FBI scrambled to assess the damage from its latest spying scandal, Justice Department officials said Thursday that the alleged betrayal by former Los Angeles counterintelligence agent James J. Smith will accelerate reforms in the bureau's recruitment and handling of informants.....(Los Angeles Times, 11 April 03)

Mueller orders probe of major FBI division

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III has ordered an investigation to find out "what went wrong" inside the bureau's Chinese counterintelligence division that allowed a veteran Los Angeles agent to go undetected in his suspected delivery of classified information to a longtime lover, a Chinese double agent.....(Washington Times, 11 April 03)

Mueller: FBI spy hunter incident to be investigated

The case of a former FBI agent charged with allowing a female Chinese double agent access to government secrets was "an isolated event," but the Justice Department will investigate the matter, FBI Director Robert Mueller told a Senate panel Thursday....(CNN, 11 April 03)

Spying Case Stuns Chinese American Leaders

Shock and apprehension. The two words best describe the Southern California Chinese American community's reaction Thursday to charges that a prominent Chinese American businesswoman was a double agent who obtained secret information for China from an FBI counterintelligence officer......(Los Angeles Times, 11 April 03)

Spy Suspect Led an Active, Prominent Life

From her stately home in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods around this city, Katrina Leung has long struck the pose of charming socialite and political player....(Washington Post, 11 April 03)

After Espionage Arrests, F.B.I. Looks Back and Wonders, 'How?'

With expensive jade jewelry, a big smile and an unshakable air of confidence, Katrina Leung always made an impression when she entered a room.....(New York Times, 11 April 03)

L.A. political player charged with spying

Katrina Leung accused of swapping sex for government secrets had the perfect resume: Republican Party member, philanthropic businesswoman, active in Chinese-American community, trusted player in Los Angeles politics....(Press-Telegram, California, 11 April 03)

Spy case arrest shocks GOP friends

Katrina Leung seemed just the sort of woman the California Republican Party wanted in its ranks......(Sacramento Bee, 11 April 03)

L.A. agog at arrest of socialite for aiding China

For years she was a society hostess, a prominent Chinese-American who hobnobbed with politicians, presidents and millionaires......(Reuters, 11 April 03)

Woman accused of being double agent known as Chinese-American activist

She allegedly lived a secret life as a double agent for the Chinese government, but the woman the FBI code-named "Parlor Maid" also lived a very public one in Republican and Chinese-American circles, friends and associates said Thursday......(AP, 11 April 03)

FBI Assesses Potential Spy Damage

Top FBI officials have told members of Congress that every Chinese counterintelligence case investigated by the FBI since at least 1991 may have been compromised by a suspected agent of the Chinese government arrested in Los Angeles this week......(Washington Post, 12 April 03)

F.B.I. Was Told Years Ago of Possible Double Agent

Senior F.B.I. officials were told in the early 1990's that a Los Angeles woman accused this week of being a double-agent appeared to be spying for the Chinese, but they continued using her as an informer nonetheless, current and former officials said......(New York Times, 12 April 03)

FBI Reviews Agent in Alleged Spy Affair

In 1991, two former FBI counterintelligence agents learned that the lover they shared might be a Chinese double agent. But government documents say they did little about it.....(AP, 12 April 03)

U.S. Alleges Spy Suspect Cheated IRS

Katrina M. Leung, the Chinese American civic leader accused of being a double agent for China who obtained classified documents through her romance with an FBI agent, also is suspected of having a long history as a tax cheat, court documents show.....(Washington Post, 12 April 03)

Spy case shakes up Nortel

Business leaders in the United States and Canada were scrambling yesterday to cope with news that a prominent Los Angeles businesswoman and former consultant for Nortel Networks Corp. is alleged to have been a spy for China....(Globe and Mail, 12 Apr 03)

Defense says alleged Chinese double agent is loyal U.S. citizen

A woman accused of being a Chinese double agent who slept with two FBI agents did nothing wrong and is a loyal U.S. citizen who followed FBI orders, her attorney said.....(AP, 12 April 03)

Scandal causes deja vu

The Katrina Leung spy scandal prompted a familiar sinking feeling among Asian Americans who have long been active on the political scene.....(Pasadena News, 12 April 03)

Spy scandal stuns Livermore lab

Former FBI agent William Cleveland was brought to Livermore's nuclear weapons lab a decade ago specifically to fix the institution's reputation for lax security.....(San Jose Mercury News, 12 April 03)

Sex affair ends FBI legend's career

Among spy hunters, Bill Cleveland is legendary. He was a Mandarin linguist in the 1960s when the FBI hardly could find agents to read Chinese. He's keenly intelligent and he knows the target, China's myriad intelligence agencies and security services, as well as anyone in the U.S. government.....(Oakland Tribune, 12 April 03)

Ex-FBI Agent in Spy Case Earned Praise

A former FBI counterintelligence agent accused of keeping quiet about a Chinese spy received praise in his post-bureau job: protecting some of the nation's most sensitive scientific secrets at a nuclear weapons lab....(AP, 12 April 03)

Lab espionage affair stuns Monterey neighbors

William Cleveland Jr., who resigned from his counterespionage post at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Thursday after acknowledging an affair with a suspected Chinese double agent, is a Monterey resident who has been praised as a respected security expert and teacher....(AP, 12 April 03)

Nuclear Lab Official Quits in Spy Probe

Disclosure of affair with alleged Chinese double agent leads the former FBI supervisor to resign from his post at Lawrence Livermore.....(Los Angeles Times, 12 April 03)

Lab official quits in affair's wake

A well-respected Lawrence Livermore Laboratory counterintelligence official has resigned after admitting a decadelong romance with a Southern California socialite accused of being a double agent for China....(Contra Costa Times, 12 April 03)

Chinese Mata Hari ensnares ex-FBI men

A second former FBI agent who worked in counterintelligence has admitted having an affair with a suspected Chinese double agent arrested earlier this week with another ex-FBI agent in the passing of classified information to the People's Republic of China.....(Washington Times, 12 April 03)

Livermore Lab security official leaves amid espionage probe

A security official for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has resigned after acknowledging an affair with a suspected Chinese double agent.....(East Bay Business Journal, 12 April 03)

Weapons Lab Official Quits in China Spy Scandal

A retired FBI intelligence expert linked to a spy scandal colored by sex and betrayal has resigned as the top security official at a nuclear research lab as authorities there review his work for possible security breaches.....(Reuters, 12 April 03)

L.A. spy case leads to resignation

An employee of one of the nation's nuclear weapons laboratories resigned Friday in connection with the arrest of a former FBI counterintelligence agent and his long-time girlfriend who allegedly was a Chinese double agent....(UPI, 12 April 03)

Arrest of Asian American activist may curtail political involvement

Seven weeks ago, Katrina Leung was greeting friends at the state Republican Convention in Sacramento, a dynamic party fund-raiser and enthusiastic leader in the growing effort to bring more Asian Americans into the GOP.....(San Francisco Chronicle, 12 April 03)

Undercover Work

A long-standing myth has it that FBI espionage work is much the way it's depicted in the movies. Lots of glamorous derring-do and such......(Washington Post, 14 April 03)

Espionage: Sex, Spies and the ‘Parlor Maid’

An accused Chinese double agent who was having long-term sexual affairs with two veteran FBI counterintelligence agents was a key source for a special Justice Department campaign-finance task force, NEWSWEEK has learned.......(Newsweek, 14 Apr 03)

Spy Suspect May Have Told Chinese of Bugs, U.S. Says

Counterintelligence officials fear that an F.B.I. informer in Los Angeles tipped off the Chinese government to a covert United States effort to plant listening devices aboard China's version of Air Force One, several government officials said.....( New York Times, 15 April 03)

Accused Spy Blames the FBI

Attorneys for longtime FBI informant and alleged Chinese double agent Katrina Leung asserted Monday that she consistently took her orders from bureau agents, one of whom is facing federal charges of allowing her access to government secrets....(Los Angeles Times, 15 April 03)

Feds to argue no bail for alleged double agent Katrina Leung

Federal prosecutors say it would be a mistake to grant bail to alleged double agent Katrina Leung, saying she has millions of dollars in bank accounts worldwide and ties with top government officials in China, a country without an extradition policy with the United States........(AP, 15 April 03)

Prosecutors: Accused Spy Has Money, China Contacts

A woman charged with stealing classified documents from her FBI agent lover has access to large sums of money and top Chinese government officials, prosecutors said on Monday as they asked that she be denied bail to keep her from fleeing......(Reuters, 15 Apr 03)

No Bail Urged For FBI 'Spy'

Federal prosecutors yesterday urged a judge to refuse bail for an accused FBI double-agent because her wealth makes her a flight risk.....(New York Post, 15 April 03)

To China with Love

Katrina Leung was living the American Dream. An immigrant from China, she scored an Ivy League education, a luxurious home, her own business, even powerful political connections. And she also possessed some secrets......(Time magazine, 15 April 03)

Ex FBI agent linked to spy row keeps teaching job

A retired FBI agent linked to a spy scandal involving another agent and a woman with whom both had affairs, has kept his part-time job -- teaching about espionage at a local college, an official said......(Reuters, 15 Apr 03)

Prosecutors Say Spy Suspect Revealed Details of Inquiry

An F.B.I. informer in Los Angeles accused of being a Chinese double agent appears to have compromised a highly delicate nuclear espionage investigation by revealing to Beijing the identities of two F.B.I. agents working on the case.....(New York Times, 16 April 03)

Alleged Chinese Spy Is Denied Bail

A U.S. magistrate judge refused today to release alleged Chinese spy Katrina M. Leung on bail, saying he is not certain investigators had found all of the classified documents she may have procured during two decades of alleged spying.....(Washington Post, 16 April 03)

Magistrate Denies Bail for Suspect in Spy Case

Calling her a flight risk and potential threat to national security, a federal magistrate denied bail Tuesday to Katrina Leung, a longtime FBI informer accused of working as a Chinese double agent.....(Los Angeles Times, 16 April 03)

Judge denies bail in FBI-China case

Lawyers for Katrina Leung say passing along information was simply following FBI's strategy....(AP, 16 April 03)

Accused Chinese-American Spy Denied Bail in L.A......(Reuters, 15 April 03)

US court refuses China 'spy' bail.....(BBC, 16 April 03)

Chinese 'double-agent' denied bail.......(CNN, 16 April 03)

Prosecutors Detail Lavish Way of Life of Double Agent Suspect

It was no secret in political and social circles here that Katrina Leung, a long-time F.B.I. informer who is accused of being a Chinese double agent, liked the good life.....(New York Times, 17 April 03)

Prosecutors say rich socialite is a flight risk.....(San Francisco Chronicle, 17 April 03)

Judge denies bail in FBI-China case......(AP, 17 April 03)

U.S.: Leung may have tipped Chinese to spy investigation....(CNN, 17 April 03)

Modern Mata Hari in court......( AFP, 17 Apr 03)

Sex, Spy Scandal Rocks UC Lab.....(UC New University, 17 April 03)

FBI Investigates Spy Scandal at UC Nuclear Lab......(UCSB Daily Nexus, 17 April 03)

Alleged double agent's taxes eyed

The Los Angeles woman accused of being a Chinese double agent also helped clinch a deal that allowed Nortel Networks to do business in China, then allegedly used the $1.2 million she made on the contract as part of a tax dodge.....(Reuters, 18 April 03)

A hero for the 21st century

Let us raise our glasses today to Katrina Leung, the woman whom all men want to know and who all women want to be. She has the power to cloud men's minds and then steal their secrets. And then apologize for it, and do it again.....(San Francisco Chronicle Op-Ed, 18 April 03)

FBI convulsed by spy story of sex and lies

THE Los Angeles businesswoman in plastic-framed glasses and navy-blue blazer hardly resembles a modern Mata Hari.....(Times of London, 19 April 03)

What Did FBI Know When in Spying Case?

As part of their investigation of an alleged Chinese double agent, the FBI is examining evidence that some officials at bureau headquarters knew for more than a decade that the woman was having unauthorized contacts with Chinese intelligence agencies but failed to take action.....(Los Angeles Times, 19 April 03)

FBI agents often get too close to their informants

A widening spy scandal involving a veteran agent of the FBI and a prized informant in Los Angeles is part of a much broader institutional problem that has led to the disciplining of several hundred agents in recent years for improper dealings with informants.....(New York Times, 20 April 03)

Agent in Spy Saga 'Was One Of Us'

The retirement party the FBI threw James J. Smith three years ago drew a large and admiring crowd. So many people were sorry to see him go.....(Washington Post, 20 April 03)

Leung Family Lashes Out at 'FBI Bungling'

The Los Angeles area woman accused of being a double agent for the Chinese government is being prosecuted to cover up "FBI bungling" and is being singled out for especially harsh treatment because of her race and gender.....(Washington Post, 20 April 03)

FBI Is Accused of Protecting Its Own in Spy Case

Attorneys for an alleged Chinese double agent released a statement accusing the FBI of engaging in a cover-up that focuses on the foreign-born woman while minimizing the misdeeds of its own agents.....(Los Angeles Times, 20 April 03)

FBI accused over China 'spy'.....(BBC, 20 April 03)

Spy suspect leaves FBI reeling

Katrina Leung was a Republican political activist, a prominent Southern California businesswoman, and an FBI informer paid $1.7 million for her work and expenses over two decades.....(AP, 21 April 03)

FBI Team to Probe China Case

A special team of FBI agents has arrived in Los Angeles to question bureau personnel over management lapses that may have allowed an alleged double agent access to U.S. secrets.....(Los Angeles Times, 22 April 03)

FBI sends agents to review LA office handling of double agent case.....(AP, 22 April 03)

The Parlour Maid and her lovers leave the FBI with a Chinese puzzle

Her code name was Parlour Maid and since the 80s she had been regarded as one of the most valuable assets in the FBI's Chinese espionage network.....(Guardian Unlimited, 22 April 03)

Spy's Close Ties Noted

Officials at the FBI, including those at headquarters in Washington, were aware of an especially close relationship between once-prized spy Katrina Leung and her FBI handler, and allowed at least one departure from FBI policy designed to protect the integrity of the bureau's counterespionage system.....(Los Angeles Times, 25 April 03)

Spy case to open can of FBI worms

Twelve years ago, a team of U.S. counterintelligence operatives flew into frigid southern Manchuria to assess Chinese spying on American diplomats.  Instead, the U.S. agents came to believe their own team was tracked by China's Ministry of State Security every step of their mission, which is still classified today.....(Oakland Tribune, 27 April 03)

Leung case hooks FBI's former China expert

American officials who travel in the People's Republic of China expect to be watched. But for former FBI counterintelligence agent Bill Cleveland, who visited China with three colleagues under his own name in late 1990, the extensive monitoring proved to be a pivotal career event.....(Washington Post, 28 April 03)

Spy case will be hard to pursue

It has been only two weeks since the government arrested an alleged double agent for China, as well as her FBI handler and lover, but even before an indictment has been handed up, the case is fraught with complications.....(San Francisco Chronicle, 28 April 03)

FBI asked to investigate possible Chinese gifts to GOP

Presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., is asking for a federal investigation into whether an alleged double agent illegally funneled Chinese money into U.S. political campaigns.....(AP, 28 April 03)

Lieberman seeks investigation of accused spy's finances

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Lieberman Sunday asked the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate whether an accused spy may have illegally funneled money from the government of China to the Republican Party in the 1990s.....(CNN, 28 April 03)

FBI probes China data from Leung

Federal investigators are focusing on volumes of information provided to the FBI since the 1980s by accused Chinese double agent Katrina Leung, who they fear deliberately misled her bureau handler and lover while she worked as a government-paid informant.....(USA Today, 28 April 03)

From L.A. VIP to spy suspect

To those who thought they knew her, Katrina Leung was a great neighbor and "a fixture in this city." She dressed exquisitely and threw expensive parties at her San Marino home.....(Chicago Tribune, 29 April 03)

Intelligence on China Was Forwarded to Presidents

Secret intelligence on the Chinese leadership provided by a longtime F.B.I. informer was sent to top policy makers at the White House, including several presidents, even after it was suspected that she might be a double agent for Beijing, United States officials have said.....(New York Times, 29 April 03)

FBI handling of informants questioned by 3 senators

A group of senators is calling for a congressional investigation into the FBI's handling of suspected China double agent Katrina M. Leung, saying the bureau's system for handling confidential informants may be flawed.....(Los Angeles Times, 29 April 03)

3 senators want spy hearings

The FBI's handling of informants is being questioned by three senior senators who want congressional hearings into charges against a former FBI counterspy and a woman alleged to be a Chinese-American double agent.....(AP, 29 April 03)

Hearings sought to review security after spying arrests

The arrests in Los Angeles of a former FBI agent and his girlfriend, suspected of being a Chinese spy, led three senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday to call for public hearings to assess the damage to the nation's counterintelligence network.....(Washington Times, 29 April 03)

Tale of sex and spies leaves FBI with a Chinese puzzle

The tale is worthy of a new Cold War, featuring a glamorous Chinese-American businesswoman and FBI informer codenamed Parlour Maid who is suspected of being a double agent and may have supplied deliberate disinformation on the Chinese leadership to the desks of four American presidents.....(Independent, 30 April 03)

Hearings on FBI Spy Case Get Put on Hold

Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch will hold off hearings on FBI procedures until the bureau finishes investigating the case of a former agent and his female informant alleged to be a Chinese-American double agent.....(AP, 30 April 03)

Another Spy Fiasco

THE STORY LINE would make a good spy flick: A modern-day Mata Hari close to the Chinese leadership becomes a paid FBI informant and seduces not one but two high-level FBI counterintelligence officials.....(Washington Post Editorial, 1 May 03)

Ex-Agent Gets Some Immunity in Spy Case

Prosecutors have agreed to give limited immunity to a veteran F.B.I. agent entangled in a Los Angeles espionage investigation, but they are also considering new and potentially more serious charges against both him and a prized bureau informant with whom he had a long affair.....(New York Times, 1 May 03)

Congressional Look at Spy Case Rejected

The Republican leadership has rejected a request for a prompt hearing into the FBI's handling of accused China double agent Katrina M. Leung, saying any congressional oversight should be delayed until the bureau and the Justice Department complete their own reviews of the spy episode.....(Los Angeles Times, 1 May 03)

FBI Investigates Suspected Double Agent

A politically connected Chinese-American woman, who is accused of being a double agent, says she had 2,100 contacts with Chinese officials while being paid as an FBI informer.....(AP, 3 May 03)

Spy Case Has FBI Itself On Trial

He was a 30-year government man, respected by his peers. She was a prominent Republican Party fund-raiser, a Chinese community activist who rubbed elbows with the rich and the political elite.....(Cox News, 4 May 03)

Prosecutors face tough choices to indict woman, ex-FBI handler

Facing a Friday deadline to indict a woman accused of being a Chinese double agent and her former FBI handler, Justice Department lawyers and counterintelligence officials face difficult choices in shaping the charges to limit the amount of classified information that might have to be divulged during prosecution.....(Los Angeles Times, 4 May 03)

Magazine: Alleged Chinese spy solicited bribe in LA port deal

Katrina Leung, the FBI informant who has been jailed for allegedly passing classified U.S. documents to Chinese officials, solicited a bribe in connection with a multimillion-dollar contract between the Chinese government and the Port of Los Angeles.....(AP, 4 May 03)

Financial Accusations a Subplot in Spy Case

In declaring Katrina Leung a flight risk and ordering her held without bail, a U.S. magistrate expressed concern, not only about her close ties to high-ranking officials in China, but also about the possibility that she might have large sums of money hidden in overseas accounts.....(Los Angeles Times, 5 May 03)

FBI says it is investigating bribe report in Chinese spy case

The FBI said Monday it is investigating a magazine report that Katrina Leung, the FBI informant who has been jailed for allegedly passing classified U.S. documents to Chinese officials, solicited a bribe from a city official.....(AP, 5 May 03)

Riordan Aides Say They Were Wary of Spy Suspect

Top officials in the administration of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan said Monday they decided to avoid individual contact with businesswoman Katrina Leung, now accused of being a Chinese double agent, after she allegedly suggested that the city could secure a port contract by making payments to influential people.....(Los Angeles Times, 6 May 03)

Handling of Secrets in Spy Cases Debated

The prosecution of an alleged Chinese spy and her alleged FBI lover has sparked a strenuous debate among U.S. law enforcement and intelligence officials over how to protect classified information while pursuing the charges in the case.....(Washington Post, 7 May 03)

Ex-FBI Agent Charged In China Spy Case

.....CBS Legal Analyst Andrew Cohen had this take on the indictment. The first question people will ask is why isn't this an out-and-out espionage case, why just a gross negligence and wire fraud case....(CBS News, 7 May 03)

Ex-FBI Agent Indicted in Spy Probe

Former FBI counterintelligence agent James J. Smith was indicted yesterday on charges of wire fraud and gross negligence for allegedly failing to notify the bureau of his sexual relationship with an informant and allowing her access to classified national defense material.....(Washington Post, 8 May 03)

Ex-F.B.I. Agent Indicted on More Serious Charges in Spy Case

A former F.B.I. supervisor in Los Angeles was indicted today on new and more serious charges of letting an informant steal classified information that she passed on to China.....(New York Times, 8 May 03)

Ex-FBI Agent Is Indicted in China Spy Case

A retired FBI counterintelligence agent was accused in a federal indictment Wednesday of concealing evidence that his longtime informant and lover was a Chinese double agent.....(Los Angeles Times, 8 May 03)

Ex-FBI agent in spy scandal indicted in L.A

A retired FBI agent accused of having an affair with suspected Chinese double agent Katrina Leung was indicted Wednesday on charges that he negligently allowed her access to classified reports she then passed on to China.....(San Francisco Chronicle, 8 May 03)

Ex-FBI agent indicted in China spy case

A federal grand jury indicted a retired FBI agent yesterday on charges of gross negligence and wire fraud for allegedly allowing his longtime intelligence source and lover access to secrets she passed on to China.....(AP, 8 May 03)

Ex-FBI Agent Indicted in Chinese Spy Case

A former FBI agent who had a 20-year affair with a woman accused of acting as a Chinese double agent was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday on charges of wire fraud and gross negligence with national security material.....(Reuters, 8 May 03)

FBI Reviewing Sources Amid China Spy Case

The FBI is conducting an exhaustive review of each of its thousands of human intelligence sources to ensure the information they provide is accurate and that their relationships with FBI handlers are proper.....(AP, 8 May 03)

Former FBI agent indicted in double agent case

A former FBI agent in charge of U.S. counterintelligence on China was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday on charges related to his 20-year affair with an alleged Chinese double agent....(CNN, 8 May 03)

Accused Double Agent for China Indicted

Los Angeles businesswoman Katrina Leung, accused of being a double agent for the People's Republic of China, was indicted yesterday on charges that she illegally copied and kept classified U.S. national defense documents while working as an FBI informant.....(Washington Post, 9 May 03)

Indictment Stops Short of Espionage

A prominent Chinese-born businesswoman was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges of obtaining, copying and keeping national security documents that she allegedly lifted from the briefcase of an FBI counterintelligence agent with whom she carried on an extramarital affair for two decades.....(Los Angeles Times, 9 May 03)

Alleged Agent Gets Limited Indictment

A federal grand jury has issued a limited indictment against alleged Chinese double agent Katrina Leung, listing five charges that do not amount to espionage.....(AP, 9 May 03)

Alleged Chinese double agent charged with stealing papers

A federal grand jury Thursday indicted alleged Chinese double agent Katrina Leung on charges that she illegally took, copied and kept secret documents obtained from an FBI agent who was both her chief contact and her lover.....(AP, 9 May 03)

Alleged Chinese double agent indicted in US

An accused Chinese double agent was on Thursday indicted to stand trial for allegedly copying secret US documents from her FBI agent lover's briefcase for communist China.....(AFP, 9 May 03)

FBI man charged over love affair with 'Chinese spy'

A FORMER FBI agent was indicted by a grand jury yesterday for failing to disclose that he was having an affair with a Chinese-born spy who was supplying intelligence directly to the White House.....(Times of London, 9 May 03)

Chinese 'double agent' defended

The lawyers and family of a woman charged in the United States with spying for China have spoken out in her defence.....(BBC, 9 May 03)

Physicist's Case Examined for Link to Alleged Spy

When Peter H. Lee, a physicist with defense contractor TRW Inc., confessed to revealing classified national defense information to Chinese officials five years ago, the Los Angeles federal prosecutor handling the case wanted to charge him with espionage.....(Washington Post, 11 May 03)

Ex-FBI Agent, Socialite Plead Not Guilty

A suspected Chinese double agent and the former FBI counterintelligence agent who was her handler and alleged lover pleaded not guilty today to offenses involving national security breaches.....(Washington Post, 13 May 03)

Leung, Agent Plead Not Guilty in Documents Case

A retired FBI counterintelligence officer and a prominent Chinese American businesswoman who was his paid informant and lover for nearly two decades pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges involving the alleged mishandling of national security documents.....(Los Angeles Times, 13 May 03)

Two Decades of Deception Revealed

When Chinese warships made their first visit to the U.S. mainland six years ago, alleged double agent Katrina Leung hosted a special banquet welcoming the naval power.....(Los Angeles Times, 12 May 03)

Two plead not guilty to classified documents indictments

A former FBI informant recruited by the United States to spy on China and its intelligence services pleaded not guilty Monday to charges she took unauthorized "secret" documents from her FBI handler while also working as a double spy for China.....(CNN, 13 May 03)

Accused Chinese Agent, FBI Lover Plead Not Guilty.....(Reuters, 12 May 03)

Alleged agent pleads not guilty.....(BBC, 13 May 03)

Defendants in China Spy Case Plead Not Guilty.....(Voice of America, 13 May 03)

FBI agent's lover denies she spied for Chinese.....(Telegraph, 13 May 03)

Double agent case in US court

A court in the United States has heard the pleas of two people involved in a China spy case.....(ABC Radio News Australia, 13 May 03)

Judge Chosen to Preside in FBI Documents Cases

U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper will preside over the government's separate criminal cases against retired FBI counterintelligence agent James J. Smith and Chinese American businesswoman Katrina Leung.....(Los Angeles Times, 14 May 03)

The Mata Hari image is passé, but love and lust remain tools of the trade

Katrina Leung, code name "Parlor Maid" — accused of being a double agent who worked both for the FBI and Chinese state security — is destined, whatever the outcome of her trial, for the historical display case marked "sex-espionage".....(Los Angeles Times, 27 May 03)

Leung Claims Court Is Treating Her Unfairly

Lawyers for Katrina Leung, the businesswoman accused of illegally obtaining classified FBI documents, contend that prosecutors presented misleading information about her when they persuaded a magistrate to deny her bond.....(Los Angeles Times, 18 June 03)

Prosecutors try to keep woman in spy case jailed

A wealthy Chinese-American woman who claims she was a double agent working for the United States should not be granted bail, prosecutors argued Tuesday, because she is a flight risk who could easily flee to China.....(AP, 18 June 03)

Millionaire 'Mata Hari' bailed for $3m

A millionaire socialite accused of using her sexual affairs with FBI counter-intelligence agents to spy on the United States for China was today granted bail of almost $3 million…..(AFP, 20 June 03)

'Double agent' freed on $2m bail

Katrina Leung, a US citizen accused of being a Chinese double agent, has had her bail set at $2m by a US federal court…..(BBC, 20 June 03)

Accused double agent Katrina Leung granted bail

A federal judge Thursday set bail at $2 million for suspected double agent Katrina Leung, a former FBI informant accused of passing to China classified U.S. documents obtained from an FBI handler who was also allegedly her lover…..(CNN, 20 June 03)

FBI woman 'was spying for China'

AN FBI agent has been accused of being a Chinese double agent and had bail set at £1.2 million by a court in the United States…..(Scotsman, 20 June 03)

Handler of Alleged Spy Cuts Plea Deal

Former FBI counterintelligence supervisor James J. Smith was expected to plead guilty today to lying to the federal government about his affair with accused Chinese double agent Katrina Leung. In exchange, federal prosecutors will drop one count of mail fraud and three counts charging the veteran Los Angeles FBI agent with gross negligence in allowing Leung access to classified documents……….(Los Angeles Times, 12 May 04)

Ex-Handler of Alleged FBI Spy Cuts Deal

A former FBI counterintelligence supervisor pleaded guilty yesterday to lying about a long-running sexual affair he had with a prized bureau informant now accused of spying for China………(Washington Post, 13 May 04)

Ex-FBI Agent Pleads to a Lesser Charge in Spy Case

One year after his arrest raised the specter of a damaging espionage scandal, a former FBI supervisor in Los Angeles pleaded guilty Wednesday to a far less significant offense: failing to disclose his 20-year sexual relationship with an accused Chinese double agent……(Los Angeles Times, 13 May 04)

F.B.I. Agent Pleads Guilty in Deal in Chinese Spy Case………(New York Times, 13 May 04)

Former FBI Agent Pleads Guilty to Lying………(AP, 13 May 04)

Agent admits China 'spy' affair………(BBC, 13 May 04)

Ex-FBI Agent Pleads Guilty to Lying About Affair………(Reuters, 12 May 04)

Ex-FBI agent pleads guilty to lying about affair………(CNN, 13 May 04)

FBI Responds to OIG Report on the Handling of Former Asset Leung (FBI Press Release, 24 May 06)