(CNN) -- A 28-year-old Detroit man pleaded guilty on Friday to "conspiring to provide national defense information" to Chinese government intelligence officers, the Justice Department said.
Glenn Duffie Shriver pleaded guilty in Virginia federal court before U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady. The government and defense both recommended a 48-month prison sentence in a plea agreement, and the sentencing is scheduled for January 21.
"Mr. Shriver betrayed his country and took repeated steps toward spying for another government," said Neil H. MacBride, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Citing a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, the department said Shriver is "proficient in Mandarin Chinese and resided in the People's Republic of China" as an undergraduate student and after graduation.
Shriver developed a relationship with three people when living in Shanghai in October 2004. The people turned out to be Chinese government intelligence officers, who asked him to return to the United States and seek posts in U.S. intelligence or law enforcement agencies.
He said in court that he realized his "ultimate objective" was a position that would give him access to classified information that he would give to the officers for money.
CNN
