Accused double agent Katrina Leung granted bail
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Katrina Leung
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- 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.
The prominent 49-year-old Chinese-American businesswoman, who is married and lives in San Marino, California, was not immediately released from the jail where she has been held since her April 9 arrest.
In rejecting the government's plea that Leung be held without bail as a potential flight risk, U.S. District Judge Florence Cooper stipulated that the defendant must agree not to leave Los Angeles County, with her movements monitored by a GPS tracking device. She also must provide the judge with a statement of her financial assets.
Leung was indicted last month on charges of illegally obtaining, copying and retaining classified U.S. national defense documents with the purpose of aiding a foreign nation and passing those documents to the Chinese government.
She was not specifically charged with espionage, but she still could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted.
James J. Smith, her longtime FBI handler and the man who recruited her to spy on China and was allegedly her lover for 20 years, has been charged with wire fraud and gross negligence for improperly removing the secret documents from an FBI office and allowing Leung to obtain them.
Smith, 59, who also is married, is free on $250,000 bond. If convicted, he could face a 40-year prison term.
Leung has told investigators she got information from Smith and another FBI agent over a period of several years without their consent and passed it on to Chinese agents.
