Ex-FBI Agent Also Accused of Lying
Former FBI counterintelligence agent James J. Smith was indicted Tuesday on a new charge of making a false statement to his superiors to cover up his sexual affair with an alleged Chinese double agent.
The charge was contained in a revised indictment against the retired 59-year-old federal agent, who was arrested last year along with his longtime lover, Katrina Leung.
Smith, who is free on bond, will be arraigned today on charges of making a false statement during a “security reinvestigation interview,” exercising criminal gross negligence in his handling of national security documents and depriving the government of honest services.
The new indictment gave no indication of what prompted the “security reinvestigation interview,” which occurred in August 2000, several months before Smith’s retirement after 30 years with the FBI.
Smith is accused of falsely telling an FBI interviewer that nothing in his past or present could be used to compromise him as a counterintelligence officer or could have any bearing on his discretion, trustworthiness or character.
Defense lawyers for Smith declined to comment Tuesday.
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