Defense contractor Benjamin Pierce Bishop is accused of sharing top secret information with a Chinese national. The 59-year-old former US Army officer had top secret clearance. Bishop allegedly transmitted information about nuclear weapons and war plans to a 27-year-old Chinese woman he was romantically involved with at the time.
The unsealed complaint against Benjamin Bishop also maintains that the defense contractor and the Chinese woman met during an international military defense conference. Investigators reportedly believe that the unnamed woman could have been sent to the defense meeting to target individuals like Bishop.
Federal court documents also indicate that the US defense contractor began an intimate relationship with the Chinese national in June of 2011. Bishop allegedly hid the romance from government officials. As per security guidelines, Bishop was mandated to report all foreign contacts in order to retain his top clearance credentials.
Investigators reportedly found out about the relationship between the defense contractor and the Chinese woman via authorized wiretaps. Benjamin Bishop was reportedly talking about deployment of early warning radar systems used in the Pacific Rim. The pair also supposedly discussed the American ability to detect both medium and short range ballistic missiles.
When investigators searched the US defense contractor’s home in Hawaii, they reportedly found top secret documents. The “Fiscal Year 2014-18 Defense Planning Guidance” report was described as the “definitive” force development planning document. Benjamin Bishop was not permitted to have such documents inside his personal residence.
The woman allegedly instructed Bishop to do research on what Western countries knew about a specific Chinese naval asset. She was reportedly in America on a student visa. The investigation into both Bishop and the Chinese national are ongoing.
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