Adm. McVadon, Lonnie Henley defended Montaperto to the end

An alarming number of intelligence figures have defended Ronald Montaperto, even after his conviction. The federal judge who sentenced the Chinese spy to a mere three months in prison - citing the influence of letters from senior intelligence officials and others.

Among them: Lonnie Henley, the current Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia who works for Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Negroponte.

Another: RADM Eric McVadon, USN (Ret.), pictured, currently a China consultant to the CIA and Defense Department. Known as "Eric the Red," McVadon said in the Washington Times that he would not second-guess the federal case against Montaperto, but could only "recoil at characterizations of him in the press as a spy."

Henley calls Montaperto 'a mentor and role model'

DNI John Negroponte's deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia calls convicted Chinese spy Ronald Montaperto "a mentor and role model."

The officer, Lonnie Henley, appealed to a federal judge to go easy on Montaperto, whom Henley characterized in a sentencing memorandum as "conscientious, concerned and above all dedicated to the best interests of the United States."

"I learned from him the importance of careful objective intelligence analysis, grounded in solid evidence and carefully free of personal opinion," said Henley, in comments reported by the Washington Times' Bill Gertz.

Henley added that Montaperto "was a mentor and role model, admired by all who worked with him as a professional intelligence analyst."

House intelligence chief to probe support for Montaperto

The chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence says he's disturbed by the scope of support in the intelligence community for convicted Chinese spy Ronald Montaperto, and that he plans to investigate.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra tells the Washington Times, "You would think that the intel community would set the standard for holding people accountable for mishandling and passing of classified information to our enemies."

Years of espionage cost only 90 days in prison

Years of passing secrets to the military intelligence service of the People's Republic of China will cost Ronald Montaperto only 90 days in prison - the lightest of spankings for crimes that federal guidelines say are worth 20 times the punishment.

"Federal Judge Gerald Bruce Lee said that despite the 'very serious charge' against Ronald Montaperto, he was swayed to reduce the sentence based on letters of support from current and former intelligence and military officials," Bill Gertz reports in the Washington Times.

Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) veteran Montaperto, age 67, admitted guilt in June to "unlawful retention of classified documents," but claimed he illegally had the secrets in a bid to spy on China for the United States.

"I never meant to hurt my country in any way," Montaperto said at his hearing at US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia.

Federal sentencing guidelines allow between four and five years in prison for Montaperto's crimes, though prosecutors sought a sentence of only two years. Judge Lee sentenced the spy to only three months in prison, plus three months of home detention and five years' probation, according to Gertz.

Sting operation fooled Montaperto into admitting his crimes

Ronald Montaperto "did not reveal or admit the passing of secrets until fooled into making admissions in a 2003 sting operation while he worked at the US Pacific Command think tank in Hawaii," Gertz reports.

That revelation from federal investigators clashes with Montaperto's defense that he cooperated voluntarily.

"US intelligence officials have said Montaperto was first investigated in the late 1980s after a Chinese defector said Beijing considered him one of their 'dear friends,' or informal supporters of China."

Defense argument: Montaperto passed secrets to PRC 'to help US-China relations'

Signs of a sick mind: Montaperto says he passed US secrets to Chinese military intelligence in order to prove US-PRC relations.

Montaperto, according to Gertz, "was not charged for passing secret and top-secret information to two Chinese military intelligence officers but the activities were outlined in court papers.

"Montaperto, according to the sentencing memorandum written by his lawyers, passed the classified data to China in order to help U.S.-China relations, which contradicts Mr. Henley's description of him as an unbiased analyst.

"The memorandum said Montaperto did not pass secrets to China out of 'ideological alignment or sympathy with the People's Republic of China.' Instead, he gave the classified data because he thought 'the US and the PRC needed to learn to get along and better understand each other, a belief that was and is consistent with United States foreign policy,' it said."

Montaperto met 60 times with two Chinese intelligence officers

"Neil Hammerstrom, the assistant U.S. attorney, told the court that Montaperto met 60 times with two Chinese military intelligence officers and provided both secret and top secret information during the meetings," Gertz reports in his September 9 story.

"Mr. Hammerstrom asked for at least a two-year sentence, arguing a tough prison term was needed because Montaperto 'repeatedly placed in jeopardy sensitive sources and methods pertaining to our national security.'"