Former Defense Dept. Employee Pleads Guilty To Espionage Charges

April 1, 2008 12:07 p.m. EST

Washington, DC (AHN)-A former weapon policy specialist for the Defense Department pleaded guilty to an espionage charge on Monday, admitting to passing national defense information to unauthorized recipients including the Chinese government.

Gregg W. Bergersen, 51, entered his guilty plea in a District Court in Alexandria, admitting he provided unauthorized information on U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan between March 2007 and February 2008.

Bergerson said that although he leaked classified defense information to Tai Shen Kuo, a New Orleans-based businessman and was aware the material would reach Taiwan, Bergerson attorney claims his client "was unaware that Kuo was a security official of the People's Republic of China, that he was involved in the PRC."

Bergerson, who received cash and gifts in exchange for information, was a weapons systems analyst for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency in Arlington, Virginia before resigning last week. He will be sentenced next week and could face up to 10 years in prison for his role in the espionage case.

Additional espionage charges are pending against alleged co-conspirators Tai Shen Kuo, 58, and Yu Xin Kang, 33, both who are currently being held without bond.