Two Navy service members arrested for sharing sensitive information with China: DOJ
Misty Severi
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Two United States Navy service members were arrested and indicted in two separate cases for allegedly sending sensitive military information to intelligence officers for the People’s Republic of China, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, also known as Thomas Zhao, and Navy sailor Jinchao Wei, also known as Patrick Wei, were arrested by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service on Wednesday for their respective alleged crimes.
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Zhao has been charged with conspiracy and receipt of a bribe by a public official, and he will be arraigned at the United States District Court in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon. Wei was charged with conspiracy to send national defense information to an intelligence officer working for Beijing.
“These individuals stand accused of violating the commitments they made to protect the United States and betraying the public trust, to the benefit of the PRC government,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said in a press release. “The Department of Justice will continue to use every tool in our arsenal to counter threats from China and to deter those who aid them in breaking our laws and threatening our national security.”
Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme with a security clearance, allegedly recorded sensitive U.S. military information and transmitted the recordings, photographs, and videos to an unnamed Chinese intelligence officer. The actions are alleged to have taken place from August 2021 through May 2023, according to a Justice Department news release.
“By sending this sensitive military information to an intelligence officer employed by a hostile foreign state, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath to protect our country and uphold the Constitution,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said in a statement. “Unlike the vast majority of U.S. Navy personnel who serve the nation with honor, distinction and courage, Mr. Zhao chose to corruptly sell out his colleagues and his country.”
Zhao allegedly sent the intelligence officer operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region. The plans detailed the “specific location and timing of Naval force movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations and logistics support,” according to the news release.
Federal prosecutors also alleged the Naval service member photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system located on a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan, according to the indictment. The operations were directed by the intelligence officer, who ordered Zhao to destroy evidence of the relationship and conceal it from officers, in exchange for approximately $14,866.
Wei, who worked as a machinist on the U.S.S. Essex at Naval Base San Diego, allegedly entered into a “handler and asset” relationship with a Chinese intelligence officer beginning in February 2022. As part of his duties for the Beijing officer, Wei sent photos and videos of the Essex and other Navy ships to the Chinese officer, the indictment said. He also sent 30 technical and mechanical manuals relating to the layouts and weapons systems of several ships, including the Essex.
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“We have entrusted members of our military with tremendous responsibility and great faith,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California said. “Our nation’s safety and security are in their hands. When a soldier or sailor chooses cash over country, and hands over national defense information in an ultimate act of betrayal, the United States will aggressively investigate and prosecute.”
If convicted on both counts, Zhao could face up to 20 years in federal prison. It is not clear how long Wei could be sentenced if convicted of his conspiracy charge.