U.s. Navy Sailor Convicted Of Espionage After Selling Secrets To Chinese Intelligence Officer

A U.S Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of espionage aft he sold Navy secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer, national officials said.

Jinchao Wei, a 25-year-old who besides goes by Patrick Wei, was recovered blameworthy of six crimes, including conspiracy to perpetrate espionage, espionage, and unlawful export of, and conspiracy to export, method information related to defense articles successful usurpation of nan Arms Export Control Act and nan International Traffic successful Arms Regulations. He was recovered not blameworthy of 1 count of naturalization fraud.

Prosecutors said Wei utilized his position arsenic a machinist’s mate connected nan amphibious battle vessel U.S.S. Essex astatine Naval Base San Diego to provender accusation to a Chinese intelligence serviceman who recruited Wei connected societal media successful February 2022. He held a U.S. information clearance and had entree to delicate nationalist defense information, including nan weapons connected nan Essex, prosecutors said.

Amphibious battle ships let nan subject to task powerfulness and support beingness by serving arsenic nan cornerstone of nan Navy’s amphibious readiness and expeditionary onslaught capabilities, nan U.S. Attorney’s Office for nan Southern District of California said successful a news release.

His attorneys did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected Thursday.

According to nan news release, nan intelligence serviceman initially presented himself arsenic a naval enthusiast moving for a shipbuilding institution successful China. However, grounds revealed that Wei had suspected nan intelligence officer’s existent personality and motive.

Prosecutors said Wei told a friend who was besides successful nan Navy that he thought he was "on nan radar of a China intelligence organization" and was "extremely suspicious" astir nan person. Wei told his friend that nan personification was "interested successful nan attraction rhythm of naval ships” and wanted Wei to locomotion nan pier connected a regular ground to spot which ships were docked, according to nan news release. Wei told his friend that nan personification would salary him $500.

Although Wei told his friend that he believed it was “quite obviously” espionage, Wei continued to pass pinch nan personification connected an encrypted messaging exertion and “began spying for nan intelligence officer," nan attorney’s agency said.

Between March 2022 and August 2023, erstwhile Wei was arrested, he sent photographs of nan Essex, told nan intelligence serviceman nan location of various Navy ships and described nan defense weapons connected nan Essex, nan news merchandise states. He besides described problems pinch his vessel and others and sent nan intelligence serviceman "thousands of pages of method and operational accusation astir U.S. Navy aboveground warfare ships for illustration nan Essex that he took from restricted U.S. Navy machine systems," according to nan release.

The attorney’s agency said that successful full Wei gave nan intelligence serviceman astir 60 method and operating manuals astir U.S. Navy ships, dozens of photographs, and papers astir nan U.S. Navy and Wei’s assignments connected nan ship. Many of nan manuals contained export-control warnings connected nan screen pages.

In speech for nan information, Wei was paid much than $12,000 complete 18 months.

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said Wei's actions showed an "egregious betrayal of nan spot placed successful him arsenic a personnel of nan U.S. military."

"By trading subject secrets to nan People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only nan lives of his chap sailors but besides nan information of nan full federation and our allies," he said successful a statement. "The jury’s verdict serves arsenic a important reminder that nan Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute traitors."

Wei is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Dec. 1.