Prosecutors: State Department employee lied about gifts from Chinese intelligence agents

Federal prosecutors say a State Department worker was treated to lavish gifts and even a furnished apartment by a pair of Chinese intelligence agents in exchange for sensitive information.

Candace Claiborne, 60, started working for the State Department in 1999, and had a top security clearance. She was arrested Tuesday, and charged with obstructing an official proceeding and making false statements to the FBI. In a complaint, prosecutors allege that Claiborne accepted cash, an iPhone, a laptop, vacations, and meals worth thousands of dollars, and she was targeted by the agents in an attempt to glean information on political, economic, and security policies that could affect China. In one case, prosecutors say, Claiborne was wired $2,500 by a Chinese intelligence officer, and they asked in return for an "internal evaluation" made by the U.S. government at an economic conference with the Chinese government.

Claiborne has denied the allegations, and pled not guilty on Wednesday. Should she be found guilty of all charges, she could face up to 25 years in prison.

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