ALEXANDRIA, Va. - 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 6 1/2 years sought by prosecutors for 62-year-old James Fondren of Annandale, a former Air Force officer.

U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton said a lighter sentence is warranted because the information disclosed by Fondren caused little or no harm to U.S. national security.

Fondren was convicted of giving classified information on U.S.-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.