4-8-2023 (SAN DIEGO) Two United States Navy sailors from Southern California have been arrested on charges related to national security and China. The first sailor, Jinchao Wei, also known as Patrick Wei, was taken into custody on Wednesday on charges of conspiracy to send national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of China. Wei, a machinist’s mate stationed on the amphibious assault ship the USS Essex, is accused of accepting thousands of dollars from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for classified information regarding the defense and weapon capabilities of US Navy ships, their potential vulnerabilities, and information related to their movements.
Wei is also accused of providing the Chinese intelligence officer with photographs of military hardware and details about an upcoming maritime warfare exercise involving US Marines. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The second sailor, Wenheng Zhao, also known as Thomas Zhao, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with conspiracy and receipt of a bribe by a public official. Zhao, who was working at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, is accused of sending sensitive information to China.
According to the US Attorney’s Office, Wei and Zhao were communicating with different intelligence officers, and it remains unclear whether the two cases are related. Both sailors have pleaded not guilty.
The arrests were announced by US Attorney Randy Grossman for the Southern District of California, who stated that the nation’s safety and security are in the hands of military personnel and that acts of betrayal will be aggressively investigated and prosecuted.
The charges against the two sailors highlight the ongoing concern over China’s efforts to steal US military and industrial secrets. The US government has repeatedly accused China of engaging in cyber espionage and intellectual property theft, and tensions between the two nations have escalated in recent years.
The Navy is cooperating fully with the investigation, and both sailors are being held in custody pending trial. The case remains under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
