A whopper of a sentence came in on Monday for the Chinese-born engineer who last May was convicted of conspiring to hand over U.S. military secrets to China. Chi Mak, 67, was given 24 1/2 years for smuggling top secret data, acting as an unregistered foreign agent in the U.S., attempting to violate export control laws and lying to the FBI, according to a story by Fox News. Mak’s defense asked for 10 years in prison while prosecutors asked for 30, though he could have been sentenced with as many as 35 years based on his convictions.

U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney presided over the ruling. Mak reportedly asked the judge for leniency before the sentence came in. Carney had this to say:

“He’s a very humble man, a very warm man and he wants to be helpful, but it’s those traits and that persona that allowed him to pass information to the People’s Republic of China.”

He added:

“I do believe a high-end sentence is appropriate here.”

According to the Fox News story, Mak worked for Anaheim-based naval defense contractor Power Paragon. He was arrested late in 2005. Both his wife, Rebecca Laiwah Chiu, and brother, Tai Mak, pleaded guilty last year as well. Chiu is currently serving three years in prison while Tai Mak faces a 10 year maximum.

Mak’s attorney said they will file an appeal.