Washington ( CNN ) -- A former State Department analyst was sentenced to life in prison Friday for spying for Cuba for almost 30 years . His wife and partner in spying received a sentence of six years and nine months , but will get credit for more than a year already served . Kendall Myers , 73 , pleaded guilty last November to conspiracy to commit espionage and wire fraud . His wife , Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers , 72 , admitted to one count of conspiracy to gather and transmit national defense information . Kendall Myers ' life sentence does not include the possibility of parole . In a prepared statement , Myers said he and his wife never wanted to harm Americans . `` We wish to add at this time that we acted as we did for 30 years because of our ideals and beliefs , '' he said . `` We did not seek nor receive payment for our work . We did not act out of anger at the United States or from a feeling of anti-Americanism . Nor did we ever intend to hurt any individual Americans . Our overriding objective was to help the Cuban people defend their revolution . We also hoped to forestall conflict between the two countries . '' `` We share the dreams and ideals of the Cuban revolution , '' he added . `` We are equally committed to helping the struggling people of the world , whether they are here at home or abroad . '' As part of their sentences , the couple also agreed to pay the government more than $ 1.7 million , a figure matching Kendall Myers ' estimated salary over the years while working for the U.S. government and secretly spying for Cuba . The two were arrested in June 2009 after meeting several times with an undercover FBI agent to whom they admitted their activities on behalf of Cuba . Those meetings were captured on video and audio tape . Court documents painted an intriguing picture of a couple motivated by admiration for Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution . They used code names . Kendall Myers was known as Agent 202 . Gwendolyn Myers used the names Agent 123 and Agent E-634 . They used a shortwave radio to communicate from their District of Columbia home with their Cuban handlers . The couple also admitted they met Cuban agents on overseas trips to various places , including Trinidad and Tobago , Jamaica , Mexico , Brazil , Ecuador and Argentina . Kendall Myers worked at the State Department 's Foreign Service Institute and later at the department 's Bureau of Intelligence and Research . He received a `` top secret '' security clearance in 1985 . According to court documents , Myers told the undercover FBI agent he usually took information from the State Department by memorizing it or taking notes , and upon occasion he actually took classified documents home . Gwendolyn Myers said she would process the information to be delivered to their Cuban intelligence handlers . At the request of the defense , U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton agreed to recommend the Myerses serve their time in facilities near one another to make it easier for family members to visit them . The Bureau of Prisons will make the ultimate decision on that .
Kendall Myers says he never wanted to `` hurt any individual Americans '' or even the United States of America.'' Both were accused of spying for Cuba for almost 30 years . They also agreed to repay the government more than $ 1.7 million .