Alexandria: A judge has sharply reduced the
prison term of a former New Orleans furniture salesman
convicted of helping China obtain secret US military
information.
At a hearing on Friday in Alexandria, Judge Leonie Brinkema
cut the prison sentence for convicted spy Tai Shen Kuo from
nearly 16 years to just five years.
That was even better than what defense lawyers sought.
They asked to reduce Kuo's term to six years.
Prosecutors agreed that Kuo deserved a reduced term
because of his cooperation, but the judge's decision cut
several more years off Kuo's prison time than the government
recommended.
Brinkema said she was motivated partly by the fact that
the information Kuo delivered to Beijing was not significantly
harmful to national security.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, June 26, 2010, 00:05