VOA News 16 July 2010
A U.S. judge has sentenced a former State Department official to life in prison for spying for Cuba for almost three decades.
The U.S. Justice Department says 73-year-old Walter Kendall Myers will not have the opportunity for parole.
Myers' wife Gwendolyn was also sentenced Friday at the Washington court to 81 months, or nearly seven years in prison for her role in the espionage case.
The couple pleaded guilty to
Justice officials say they also agreed to pay a fine of more than $1.7 million.
U.S. authorities say the Myers made a conscious decision to betray the United States by covertly providing classified national defense information to the Cuban government.
They say the sentences should serve as a clear warning to others who would willingly compromise the nation's most sensitive classified information.
To fulfill their monetary judgment, the Myers will have to forfeit some of their assets, including a vehicle, an apartment in Washington and various bank and investment accounts.
Walter Myers held a top secret security clearance at the State Department. Officials say that from August of 2006 until his retirement in October of 2007, Myers viewed more than 200 sensitive or classified intelligence reports related to Cuba. His wife never received a security clearance from the U.S. government.
The two were also accused of meeting with then-Cuban President Fidel Castro in 1995. Mr. Castro said he did not recall meeting the couple in Cuba and that the case against them was "ridiculous."
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.