U.S. Navy sailor is convicted of spying for China

Boston Globe

17 hours ago

The Navy characterized some of the information sold by Wei, for a total of $12,000, as 'critical technology.'
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A second sailor, who was arrested at the same time as Wei, was sentenced last year to 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring with a Chinese intelligence officer and accepting a bribe.
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Prosecutors said that Wei, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in China, had betrayed his adopted country when he used his security clearance to obtain closely-held details about the U.S. naval fleet and military operations.
In February 2022, a Chinese intelligence officer recruited Wei on social media, presenting himself as a naval enthusiast who worked for the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corp., investigators said. In a conversation about a week later, Wei told a friend in the Navy that the person had offered him $500 for daily updates on which ships were docked at the base.
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He told the friend that he was 'no idiot' and that what he was being asked 'is quite obviously espionage,' adding an expletive, according to the Justice Department, which cited the comment during Wei's trial.
In one instance, Wei agreed to provide a Chinese intelligence officer with information about 'the number and training of U.S. Marines during an upcoming international maritime warfare exercise,' according to a federal indictment.
In exchange for $5,000, prosecutors said, he gave the contact at least 30 technical and mechanical ship manuals.
'The defendant's actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military,' Adam Gordon, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a statement Wednesday. 'By trading military secrets to the People's Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies. The jury's verdict serves as a crucial reminder that the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute traitors.'
In an email Wednesday, Sean Jones, a lawyer for Wei, said that his client was considering an appeal. While he acknowledged wrongdoing by Wei, Jones said that his client should not have been charged under the Espionage Act.
'There was clearly substantial evidence of my client's inappropriate communications with his contact in China,' Jones said. 'However the testimony, evidence and even the arguments of the government attorneys made it absolutely clear that Jinchao harbored no anti-American sentiment or intent to harm the U.S.A. He was manipulated by someone he thought was a friend, and betrayed his better judgment.'
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Wei, who the prosecutors said was evidently seeking U.S. citizenship while working clandestinely with China, was acquitted on one count of unlawful procurement of citizenship.
The Navy said it had no immediate comment on Wei's conviction.
During the trial, Wei's lawyer disputed whether the information he divulged was as sensitive as the federal government had suggested, the military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported.
Arguing that the documents shared by his client could be found online, Jones said that Wei spent most of his days sanding and painting the ship that he was assigned to, and that he was not as important as prosecutors had contended.
This article originally appeared in
.