A former U.S. Navy sailor convicted of promoting technical and working manuals for ships and working techniques to an intelligence officer working for China was sentenced Monday to greater than 16 years in jail, prosecutors mentioned.
A federal choose in San Diego sentenced Jinchao Wei, 25, to 200 months. A federal jury convicted Wei in August of six crimes, together with espionage. He was paid greater than $12,000 for the data he bought, the U.S. Division of Justice mentioned in an announcement.
Wei, an engineer for the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, was one among two California-based sailors charged on Aug. 3, 2023, with offering delicate army info to China. The opposite, Wenheng Zhao, was sentenced to greater than two years in 2024 after he pleaded responsible to at least one rely of conspiracy and one rely of receiving a bribe in violation of his official duties.
U.S. officers have for years expressed concern concerning the espionage risk they are saying the Chinese language authorities poses, bringing felony circumstances lately in opposition to Beijing intelligence operatives who’ve stolen delicate authorities and business info, together with by way of unlawful hacking.
Wei was recruited through social media in 2022 by an intelligence officer who portrayed himself as a naval fanatic working for the state-owned China Shipbuilding Business Company, prosecutors mentioned.
Proof introduced in courtroom confirmed Wei instructed a buddy that the particular person was “extraordinarily suspicious” and that it was “fairly clearly” espionage. Wei disregarded the buddy’s recommendation to delete the contact and as a substitute moved conversations with the intelligence officer to a unique encrypted messaging app Wei believed was safer, prosecutors mentioned.
Over the course of 18 months, Wei despatched the officer pictures and movies of the Essex, suggested him of the placement of varied Navy ships and instructed him concerning the Essex’s defensive weapons, prosecutors mentioned.
Wei bought the intelligence officer 60 technical and working manuals, together with these for weapons management, plane and deck elevators. The manuals contained export management warnings and detailed the operations of a number of techniques aboard the Essex and related ships.
He was a petty officer second class, which is a enlisted sailor’s rank.
The Navy’s web site says the Essex is supplied to move and assist a Marine Corps touchdown drive of over 2,000 troops throughout an air and amphibious assault.
In a letter to the choose earlier than sentencing, Wei apologized and mentioned he shouldn’t have shared something with the one that he had thought-about a buddy. Wei mentioned “introversion and loneliness” clouded his judgment.
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