New York: Two US Navy sailors have been arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information with China. One of the sailors, Jinchao Wei, a 22-year-old naturalized US citizen, was apprehended at Naval Base San Diego, a significant Navy installation in the Pacific. He is accused of conspiring to send national defense information to a Chinese agent. The other sailor, 26-year-old Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, who worked at Naval Base Ventura County in California, was arrested for accepting money in exchange for sensitive photos and videos.
The indictment against Wei, unsealed on Thursday, indicates that he entered into a “handler/asset” relationship with a Chinese agent in February 2022. As part of this arrangement, Wei allegedly sent photos, videos, technical manuals, and information about the USS Essex and other Navy ships to the Chinese officer. In return, Wei received thousands of dollars. Some of the information he allegedly shared was stored on restricted-access Navy computer systems, which he could access due to his security clearance.
During this period, Wei also received US citizenship, with the Chinese intelligence officer allegedly congratulating him on May 18, 2022. On the other hand, the indictment against Zhao claims that he provided sensitive US military information, including operational plans for a major military exercise in the Indo-Pacific, to a person posing as a maritime economic researcher, who was actually a Chinese intelligence officer. Zhao was responsible for electrical equipment on US military installations and allegedly took photos of computer screens displaying operational orders of military training exercises, which he then provided to the officer.
Matt Olson, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for national security, emphasized the seriousness of the charges, stating that they demonstrate China’s determination to obtain critical national defense information by any means for their advantage. US Attorney Randy Grossman of the Southern District of California expressed the gravity of the situation, noting that when soldiers or sailors betray their country for cash, the US will aggressively investigate and prosecute such acts of betrayal.
