A former officer with the Central Intelligence Agency was recently sentenced to prison for spying for China. He claims it all started because he was in serious debt. This debt, which seemed impossible to get out of, made him do things that he would never have done had he been financially secure. While this may seem like an extreme case to many Tennessee residents, those who are currently in a bad way economically may understand — to some degree — his need to do anything to improve his financial situation.
According to a recent report, in 2017, the ex CIA officer had missed several months of mortgage payments and had a total of $230,000 in other debts. Sometime that year, a Chinese headhunter contacted him on LinkedIn, claiming to be looking for someone who was an expert on foreign policy. The two started talking, and things went downhill from there.
The headhunter convinced the former agent to share intelligence information, and he was paid for doing so. His frequent requests to former colleagues for information, though, caused the CIA to investigate what was going on. Ultimately, he was arrested, convicted and sentenced to life in prison for spying and causing damage to national security.
Obviously, not everyone is going to go to this extreme to deal with their debt issues. However, studies do suggest that people who are struggling financially do make poor decisions when it comes to finding ways to get out of debt. Tennessee residents who are dealing with significant monetary struggles can take steps to improve their situations. An experienced bankruptcy law attorney can review their financial positions and help them choose the best course of action.
