Two Navy sailors in Southern California have been arrested and charged with providing military secrets and sensitive information to Chinese intelligence officers. The federal indictments against Jinchao Wei and Wenheng Zhao were unsealed on Thursday.
Jinchao Wei, also known as Patrick Wei, is 22 years old and serves aboard the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship stationed at Naval Base San Diego. As a machinist’s mate, Wei had clearance that granted him access to sensitive national security information. He has been charged with spying for China under the Espionage Act.
Wenheng Zhao, 26 years old and also known as Thomas, worked at the Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme. He was charged with taking bribes in exchange for providing sensitive U.S. military information to a Chinese intelligence officer posing as an economic researcher. Port Hueneme is home to several aircraft squadrons and the Navy’s naval construction battalions in the Pacific.
The charges against the sailors demonstrate China’s deep interest in the Navy’s Pacific Fleet and other aspects of the American military’s operations in the region. The Chinese government’s overall objective is to steal American corporate and national security secrets. Instances of Chinese spying and cyberbreaches have led top national security officials to raise concerns about the country’s significant threat to American innovation, economic security, and national security.
During a news conference in San Diego, U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman stated that Wei, a naturalized citizen, chose to betray his newly adopted country rather than report inappropriate contact from a Chinese intelligence officer. Grossman emphasized the seriousness of the crime, noting that the Espionage Act section under which Wei was charged has been rarely used in recent years.
Wei began working for China in early 2022, providing his handler with information about the defense and weapons abilities of U.S. warships, as well as their vulnerabilities. He communicated with the intelligence officer via encrypted platforms. In one instance, the Chinese officer asked Wei for information about the upcoming international maritime warfare exercise. Wei received $5,000 for providing 30 technical and mechanical ship manuals, some of which contained critical technology according to the U.S. Navy.
The Essex is a crucial asset for the U.S. Navy’s amphibious readiness and expeditionary strike capabilities, as stated by the Justice Department’s news release.
The second sailor, Wenheng Zhao, worked under the direction of an unnamed Chinese intelligence officer from August 2021 until at least May this year. Zhao sent the officer sensitive details, including electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system in Okinawa, Japan, and operational plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region. These plans detailed specific naval force movements, amphibious landings, maritime operations, and logistics support. Zhao faces 20 years in prison if convicted.
Both Wei and Zhao earned significant sums of money while secretly working for China, according to prosecutors.
It’s important to note that these arrests occurred a year after the discontinuation of a controversial initiative by the Justice Department that some critics argued unfairly targeted professors of Asian descent and contributed to an increase in anti-Asian sentiment.
Stacey Moy, the top FBI agent in San Diego, emphasized during the news conference that these indictments should not be seen as an indictment of the Chinese people or ethnically Chinese Americans.
Wei and Zhao were expected to appear before federal judges in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles and San Diego on Thursday.
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