A State Department employee with top secret security clearance has been charged with lying to the FBI about her failure to report thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts she allegedly received from two Chinese intelligence agents, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Candace Claiborne allegedly accepted cash, an iPhone, a laptop, meals, vacations and a fully furnished apartment over the course of several years in exchange for information, according to the complaint. The 60-year-old has worked for the State Department in several countries since 1999, most recently serving in an administrative support role as an office management specialist in Washington.
Claiborne was arrested on Tuesday and charged on Wednesday with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to the FBI.
Prosecutors said she was targeted by members of a Chinese intelligence program that seeks to « obtain information on political, economic, and security policies that may affect China, foreign intelligence operations directed at China, and biographical profiles of foreign politicians and intelligence officers. »
In one instance, the complaint alleges that one of the Chinese intelligence agents wired $2,500 into Claiborne’s bank account and then asked her for an « internal evaluation of the fruits and consensus » made by the US government at an economic conference with Chinese government officials.
