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DATE=9/11/2000 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=WIN HO LEE / L NUMBER=2-266375 BYLINE=MIKE O'SULLIVAN DATELINE=LOS ANGELES CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: The expected release of Wen Ho Lee -- the Chinese-American scientist accused of mishandling nuclear secrets -- has been delayed. Monday, the judge in the case postponed a hearing until Wednesday -- saying details of the agreement still need to be worked out. Mike O'Sullivan reports the scientist is reported to have agreed to plead guilty to one felony count of mishandling secret data in exchange for his release. Text: The former scientist at the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory was fired last year and arrested in December. His spent nine months in prison and -- under a plea agreement was widely reported Monday -- would be released for time already served, in return for the plea. Mr. Lee was initially suspected of spying for China, but federal authorities later admitted they had no evidence he had passed information to another nation. Still, they say he downloaded hundreds of thousands of pages of sensitive data on computer tapes. Prosecutors called the data the "crown jewels" of the U-S nuclear program. However, Mr. Lee's supporters say much of the information is found in the public record. Last month, the government's case started to break down when a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent admitted he made erroneous statements in court, last December. News reports quote government sources as saying -- under the current agreement -- the scientist will received immunity from further prosecution, as long as he cooperates with the investigation. Mr. Lee is a naturalized U-S citizen who was born in Taiwan. He had wide support among Asian-Americans, many of whom believed he was targeted because of his ethnic background. He was held under conditions that critics say were unusually harsh, which drew protests from many prominent scientists. During most of his time in prison, Mr. Lee was shackled in solitary confinement. Federal authorities said he posed a security risk and could pass along sensitive data to outsiders. Mr. Lee has always maintained his innocence, but has never explained the whereabouts of the missing data to the satisfaction of federal investigators. U-S Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson, who oversees the nuclear program, says the location of the missing data is the key to the negotiated agreement. Neither defense attorneys nor prosecutors had any comment Monday. (Signed) NEB / MO'S / WD 11-Sep-2000 23:29 PM LOC (12-Sep-2000 0329 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .