Oct 2, 7:54 PM EDT

FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Engineer's wife sentenced in military secrets case



SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- The wife of an engineer who exported U.S. defense technology to China has been sentenced in California to prison for her role in the plot.

Rebecca Laiwah Chiu was sentenced Thursday in federal court to three years in prison after pleading guilty last year to acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

Her husband is Tai Mak. He was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison this year.

Prosecutors say he was stealing information on submarine propulsion systems from defense contractor Power Paragon, where he worked. They say he passed it to China with the help of his extended family.

His brother, sister-in-law and nephew have also pleaded guilty the case.

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END of AP Release