US Navy sailors Jinchao Wei and Wenheng Zhao charged with providing sensitive military information to China
- China-born Wei allegedly worked with a Chinese intelligence officer while in the process of becoming an American citizen
- Zhao allegedly took bribes in exchange for details on US naval exercise plans, operational orders and photos and videos of electrical systems at Navy facilities
Two US Navy sailors have been arrested and accused of providing sensitive military information to China – including details on wartime exercises, naval operations and critical technical material, federal officials said Thursday.
The two sailors, both based in California, were charged with similar moves to provide sensitive intelligence to the Chinese. But they were separate cases, and it was not clear if the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme. Federal officials at a news conference in San Diego declined to specify whether the sailors were aware of each other’s actions.
Jinchao Wei, a 22-year-old sailor assigned to the San Diego-based USS Essex, was arrested on Wednesday on a charge related to espionage involving conspiracy to send national defence information to Chinese officials, according to the US authorities.
Wei, who was born in China, was approached by a Chinese intelligence officer while he was applying to become a naturalised US citizen, prosecutors said, and admitted to the officer that he knew the arrangement could affect his application.
Still, prosecutors said, he continued to send sensitive US military information multiple times over the course of a year and even was congratulated by the Chinese officer once Wei became a US citizen, Grossman said. He added that Wei “chose to turn his back on his newly adopted country” for greed.