A U.S. Navy sailor was convicted in federal court after selling military secrets to China, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday.
Jinchao Wei, a 25-year-old Navy sailor previously stationed at Naval Base San Diego, now potentially faces life in prison after he sold defense articles to a Chinese intelligence agent for $12,000, according to the DOJ. Wei was arrested in August 2023 after selling the secrets for nearly 18 months, sending technical documentation, naval vessel whereabouts and defensive specifications of vessels.
“The defendant’s actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in the announcement. “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.”
The DOJ did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
In February 2022, Wei was contacted by a Chinese agent, who initially pretended to be a naval enthusiast, according to the DOJ. Wei immediately suspected that the agent was involved in espionage despite his disguise, even telling a friend that he was “no idiot” and that the agent’s messages were “obviously fucking espionage.”
Despite his friend advising him to cut contact with the agent, he moved their conversation onto an encrypted messaging app, and began sending the agent the sensitive information in exchange for cash, according to the DOJ.
“In total, Wei sold the intelligence officer approximately 60 technical and operating manuals about U.S. Navy ships, as well as dozens of photographs and papers about the U.S. Navy and Wei’s assignments on the Essex,” the DOJ said in their announcement. “Many of the manuals contained conspicuous export-control warnings on their cover pages.”
Wei revealed the Essex’s specifications for its power, steering, weapons control, aircraft, deck elevators, damage and casualty controls, according to the DOJ. Wei also created multiple online accounts in order to cover his tracks, regularly using digital “dead drops” that wiped their correspondence from records after 72 hours, according to the DOJ.
Wei called his Chinese handler “Big Brother Andy” and used multiple encrypted avenues to keep their correspondence secret, according to the DOJ.
Wei’s sentencing is scheduled for December 1, 2025, according to the DOJ. The maximum penalty for espionage is life in prison.
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