SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Chinese-born engineer convicted of conspiracy to export U.S. defense technology to China has been sentenced to 24½ years in federal prison.

Chi Mak, 67, who worked on naval propulsion systems, also was convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign agent, attempting to violate export control laws and making false statements to the FBI.

The judge said Mak, who has U.S. citizenship, lied on immigration and government security clearance forms and perjured himself on the witness stand.

“I do believe a high-end sentence is appropriate here. Mr. Mak sadly, I believe, betrayed the United States. ... I really don’t know how much damage he’s done to us,” Carney said.

Mak, who worked for Anaheim-based naval defense contractor Power Paragon, was arrested in late 2005 after FBI agents stopped his brother and sister-in-law as they boarded a flight to Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China.