A US Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of espionage after a jury discovered him responsible of selling sensitive information to a Chinese intelligence officer.
The sailor, Jinchao Wei — who was additionally discovered responsible of conspiracy to commit espionage and “unlawful export of, and conspiracy to export, technical data related to defense articles” — might be sentenced on December 1, in accordance with a statement from the Justice Department.
The jury acquitted Wei on a cost of naturalization fraud.
“The defendant’s actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military,” Adam Gordon, US lawyer for the Southern District of California, mentioned within the assertion. “By trading military secrets to the People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies. The jury’s verdict serves as a crucial reminder that the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute traitors.”
Wei was arrested on August 2, 2023, as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, the place he served as a machinist’s mate on the USS Essex amphibious assault ship. Machinist’s mates are a category of engineers and are accountable for working, sustaining and repairing ship gear.
During his first look in courtroom a day later, federal defenders had submitted a not responsible plea on his behalf. According to Wednesday’s assertion, nonetheless, Wei confessed to promoting technical and mechanical manuals in his post-arrest interview, throughout which he instructed the FBI, “I’m screwed.”
Wei was recruited by the Chinese intelligence officer by means of social media in February 2022, the Justice Department mentioned. Between March 2022 and his arrest, Wei despatched photographs and movies of the USS Essex to the Chinese intelligence officer, alongside with the places of a number of ships on the San Diego naval base.
Wei additionally despatched “thousands of pages of technical and operational information” that have been saved on restricted-access Navy laptop techniques, the Justice Department mentioned. He acquired greater than $12,000 over the course of 18 months in change for the information he shared.
Around the time of Wei’s arrest, one other US Navy sailor in California was additionally arrested for promoting sensitive military information.
Wenheng Zhao, who pleaded responsible to conspiring with a Chinese intelligence officer and receiving a bribe, was sentenced early final 12 months to greater than two years in jail.
NCS’s Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.