How did Katrina Leung (chinese spy) get into that cushy arrangement?

I read accounts of the Katrina Leung debacle, and I simply do not understand how she became so valuable in the perception of the FBI. How did a Chinese expatriot have “connections” that would be valuable to the U.S. or even to herself? You’d think if she was an expat, the communist Chinese government wouldn’t want anything to do with her, plus she was very young when she left. So what’s the deal? How do people like her get into such a sweet arrangement resulting in a jet set lifestyle?

This whole thing puzzles me. Why did this woman get paid so much by the FBI? What information could she have possibly given them, and why didn’t anyone catch on? You’d know after a few years if someone is giving you something useful, or just total baloney.

“You’d know after a few years if someone is giving you something useful, or just total baloney.”

I’d like to think that I would know, but I’m sure the FBI doesn’t. They’re still buying electronic dowsing rods, using polygraphs, and paying for information from “psychics”.