A former government official accused of selling classified documents to China has been ordered free on bond despite government concerns that he could flee the country. Sixty-year-old Kevin Mallory of Leesburg was arrested last week and charged under the federal Espionage Act. According to court documents, customs agents found him with $16,500 in undeclared cash earlier this year on a return trip from China. Prosecutors argued at a detention hearing Thursday in Alexandria that Mallory should be jailed pending trial. A prosecutor said wigs and disguises were found in his home, and that Mallory has expertise in “tradecraft” that gives him the ability to flee the country. But a magistrate allowed Mallory to be released on an unsecured bond with home detention and electronic monitoring.
