Chi Mak, a Chinese-born engineer living in the United States, was sentenced Monday to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison, for passing U.S. military information to China.

Mak, 66, was working at an L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. unit in Southern California when he was arrested in October 2005. He was involved in a project to create more silent engines for U.S. Navy warships.

According to Los Angeles Times, U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney said he was not sure about how much damage Mak had actually caused to the United States, but he believed that Mak had betrayed the country.

Mak denied the accusations and said that he had no intention of harming the country where he had lived for so many years.

"I don't know so much about the law, but I feel I never intend to violate any law at all. I never intend to hurt my country. I love this country. I don't believe I hurt this country," Mak told the judge, according to the Associated Press. "The truth is not like the one the prosecutor says. I still hope for justice."

FBI agents investigated Mak’s family for 18 months before arresting him and other four family members in 2005.

On Oct. 28, 2005, Mak’s brother and sister-in-law were going to embark on a plane in the Los Angeles International Airport, when they were stopped by the FBI. Investigators found in their luggage computer disks that contained encrypted military information.

All the four members of Mak’s family, including his wife, his brother, sister-in-law and nephew, pleaded guilty to the charges. But Mak denied that he was a spy for China, even though his prosecutor pointed to the fact that the information on the disks was encrypted. Why was it encrypted, if it was not harmful for the U.S? Assistant U.S. Atty. Greg Staples wondered.

"I have been living in the U.S. for almost 30 years. My career is here. My friends are here," Mak insisted, as Los Angeles Times reports. "This is my country."

Mak’s attorney, Ronals Kaye, said his client would file an appeal in about 10 days. Mak hugged his attorneys before returning to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.