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Glenn Duffie Shriver
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 Naïve, young college student or disloyal American ready to spy for the People’s Republic of China (PRC)? Glenn Duffie Shriver, aka Du Fei, was a student at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in 2001 when he decided to attend a study abroad program known as “China Summer School” in Shanghai, China. He enjoyed his time in this country so much, he spent his junior year studying at East China Normal University in Shanghai, where he developed a strong interest in Chinese culture and became proficient speaking Mandarin Chinese. After graduating from GVSU in 2004 with a degree in International Relations, Shriver returned to Shanghai to continue his language studies and to seek employment. Desperate for money, he responded to an advertisement to write a political paper on U.S.-China relations regarding North Korea and Taiwan. He met with his contact, Amanda, several times and was paid $120 for his paper. Amanda praised Shriver for his work, offered to introduce him to friends of hers by the name of Mr. Wu and Mr. Tang, and encouraged him to build a close relationship with them.
Shriver has admitted that he realized his new “friends” were PRC intelligence officers, and that he understood when they asked him to apply for positions in the U.S. government or law enforcement that they were expressly interested in classified material.
So in April 2005, Shriver applied for a job as a foreign service officer for the U.S. State Department as suggested by his “friends.” He took the Foreign Service Exam in Shanghai, and although he did not pass, PRC intelligence officers paid him $10,000 for his efforts and his “friendship.” One year later, Shriver made a second attempt at passing the Foreign Service Exam, but again failed. However, this attempt earned him a shocking $20,000.
 Shriver’s next effort to gain employment with the U.S. government came in 2007 when he completed an online job application to become a clandestine officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He requested a payment of $40,000* that he received from his handlers in the PRC and then smuggled it into the U.S. through U.S. Customs. . Shriver returned to China to teach English and lived in South Korea where he became engaged to a South Korean national, Yumi Kim. By February 2010, Shriver was in the final processing stage for employment with the CIA. He made false statements on his SF-86 Questionnaire for National Security Positions and then lied during final security screening interviews, admitting later that he made these false statements to conceal his illicit relationship with PRC intelligence officers. But unbeknownst to Shriver, his deception had been indentified early on during his processing for CIA employment, most likely during his pre-employment polygraph.
So in June 2010, while attempting to travel overseas from the Detroit Metro Airport, Shriver was arrested and charged with five counts of making false statements and one count of willfully conspiring to provide national defense information to intelligence officers of the PRC. Four months later, Shriver pled guilty and as part of a plea agreement, agreed to be fully debriefed and submit to polygraph examinations. In January 2011, Glenn Duffie Shriver, 28, was sentenced to four years in prison for selling out his country. At his sentencing, Shriver stated, “I made a terrible decision. Somewhere along the way I got into bed with the wrong people. I cannot tell you what it’s like to carry a dark secret like this for so many years.”
Overall, Shriver met with his handlers approximately 20 times since 2004 and received a grand total of $70,000 from Chinese intelligence agents. Shriver’s attorney claimed he was a naïve young man just out of college when he was recruited by the Chinese. So you decide: naïve, young college student or disloyal American ready to spy for the PRC?
SOURCES:
* Money taken from or brought into the U.S. in excess of $10,000 must be declared with U.S. Customs.
1. How did Shriver get involved with intelligence officers of the People’s Republic of China (PRC)?
2. How did Shriver learn to speak Mandarin Chinese proficiently?
3. What name did Shriver use when dealing with his handlers?
4. Which government agency did Shriver seek employment with but was denied because he couldn’t pass the Foreign Service Exam?
5. How much money did Shriver receive from PRC intelligence officers?
Incorrect. This describes Ariel J. Weinmann who was arrested in March 2006 at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and given a dishonorable discharge after pleading guilty to espionage and desertion. Read more about Weinmann in the February 2007 Spy of the Month archives.
Sorry, wrong answer. This is actually the case involving convicted spy Harold “Jim” Nicholson, one of the highest-ranking CIA officers to betray his country, who was serving a 24-year prison sentence for his 1997 espionage conviction and his son, Nathan. Nathan was instructed by his father, from his prison cell in Oregon, to contact the Russian government for financial assistance, a sort of pension for his past work. His son agreed and collected $47,000 from the Russians. Now “Jim” Nicholson will spend eight more years in prison after pleading guilty to betraying his country a second time. His son received five years probation after making a deal with prosecutors to help build a case against his father.
No, his fiancé claimed she had no idea about his relationship with PRC intelligence. She said her nickname for him was “Mr. Patriot.”
Yes! Shriver wrote a political paper on U.S.-China relations regarding North Korea and Taiwan for which he received $120 from “Amanda,” an intelligence officer with the PRC.
Sorry, wrong answer. Rosetta Stone is the leading language-learning software in the world, but this is not how Shriver mastered the language.
Correct! Shriver attended a study abroad program at East China Normal University in Shanghai during his junior year in college.
No, Shriver was not born in China. He was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1981.
Sorry, but this is not the correct answer. Shriver attended Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan, but studied Mandarin Chinese during his study abroad programs in Shanghai, China.
Sorry, wrong answer. This means “hello” in Mandarin Chinese.
No, this was his fiancé’s name.
Yes! Shriver was known as “Du Fei” to PRC intelligence officers.
Incorrect. This is how you say “thank you” in Mandarin Chinese.
Yes! Shriver took the Foreign Service Exam twice so he could serve as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. State Department but failed both times.
Sorry, wrong answer. Shriver did not seek employment with the FBI. The mission of the FBI, which was established in 1908, is to protect and defend the U.S. against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, to uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the U.S., and to provide leadership and criminal justice services to federal, state, municipal, and international agencies and partners. The FBI budget for fiscal year 2011 was $7.9 billion.
No, Shriver never applied for a position with the DOE, whose mission is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.
Incorrect. Shriver did apply for employment with the CIA, but only after being denied by the U.S. State Department because he couldn’t pass the Foreign Service Exam.
Incorrect. This was the amount Shriver demanded for his efforts in applying for employment with the CIA as a clandestine officer.
Sorry, wrong answer. This is actually the cost of raising a child from birth to age 18 for a middle-income, two-parent family (not including college) according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s up nearly 40% from 10 years ago.
Sorry, but the PRC did not pay Shriver quite that much for his friendship! Hurricane Katrina, by far the largest natural disaster to ever hit the U.S., topped $80 billion in damages in 2008.
Yes! PRC intelligence gave Shriver an amazing $70,000 from April 2005 to September 2007. He received $10,000 in April 2005 for taking the U.S. Foreign Service Exam, another $10,000 in April 2006 for taking the U.S. Foreign Service Exam again (since he failed the first time), and $40,000 in September 2007 for applying as an operations officer at the CIA.
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