US sailor sentenced to 16 years in prison in Chinese espionage case

Prosecutors accused sailor Jinchao Wei of selling accusation astir US Navy ships to Chinese quality operatives.

A erstwhile United States Navy sailor has been sentenced to much than 16 years successful situation aft being convicted of selling method and operating manuals for ships and operating systems to an quality serviceman moving for China.

On Monday, a national justice successful San Diego sentenced Jinchao Wei, 25, to 200 months successful prison.

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In August, a assemblage convicted Wei of six crimes, including espionage, based connected accusations helium was paid much than $12,000 for selling information, the US Department of Justice said successful a statement.

Wei, an technologist for the amphibious battle vessel USS Essex, was 1 of two California-based sailors charged connected August 3, 2023, with providing delicate subject accusation to China. The other, Wenheng Zhao, was sentenced to much than 2 years in 2024 aft helium pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of conspiracy and 1 number of receiving a bribe successful usurpation of his authoritative duties.

For years, US officials person expressed interest astir the espionage menace they accidental the Chinese authorities poses, and prosecutors person pursued transgression cases against Beijing quality operatives who person allegedly stolen delicate authorities and commercialized information, including done amerciable hacking.

Wei was recruited via societal media successful 2022 by an quality serviceman who portrayed himself arsenic a naval enthusiast moving for the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, prosecutors said.

Evidence presented successful tribunal showed Wei told a person that the idiosyncratic was “extremely suspicious” and that it was “quite obviously” espionage.

Wei disregarded the friend’s proposal to delete the interaction and alternatively moved conversations with the quality serviceman to a antithetic encrypted messaging app helium believed to beryllium much secure, prosecutors said.

Over the people of 18 months, Wei sent the serviceman photos and videos of the Essex, advised him of the determination of assorted naval ships and told him astir the Essex’s antiaircraft weapons, prosecutors said.

Wei sold the quality serviceman 60 method and operating manuals, including those for weapons control, craft and platform elevators. The manuals contained export power warnings and elaborate the operations of aggregate systems connected committee the Essex and akin ships.

He was a petty serviceman 2nd class, which is an enlisted sailor’s rank.

The navy’s website says the Essex is equipped to transport and enactment a Marine Corps landing unit of much than 2,000 unit during an aerial and amphibious assault.

In a missive to the justice earlier sentencing, Wei apologised and said helium should not person shared thing with the idiosyncratic whom helium had considered a friend. Wei said “introversion and loneliness” clouded his judgement.