A former Pentagon official has been sentenced to three years in prison for espionage after being convicted of giving classified information to a Chinese spy. The sentence handed down Friday was significantly less than the 61/2 years sought by prosecutors for 62-year-old James Fondren of Annandale, a former Air Force officer.

US District Judge Claude Hilton said a lighter sentence is warranted because the information disclosed by Fondren caused little or no harm to US national security. Fondren was convicted of giving classified information on US-China military relations to a friend who turned out to be a spy for China. Fondren was convicted on only three of the eight counts prosecutors brought to trial. He is appealing his conviction.

Copyright Associated Press, 2010