SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A U.S. Navy sailor stationed at Naval Base San Diego who agreed to sell Navy secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer for $12,000 was found guilty on Wednesday.
Jinchao Wei, 25, was convicted of six offenses, including conspiracy to commit espionage, espionage, and the unlawful export of, and conspiracy to export, technical data related to defense articles, contravening the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to a news release from the United States Department of Justice. He was acquitted of one count of naturalization fraud.
“As stated by evidence during the trial, Wei, working as a machinist’s mate, possessed a U.S. security clearance and had access to classified national defense information regarding the ship’s weapons, propulsion, and desalination systems,” said the DOJ. “Amphibious assault ships like the Essex function similarly to small aircraft carriers, enabling the U.S. military to project power and maintain presence by being integral to the U.S. Navy’s amphibious readiness and expeditionary strike capabilities.”
On February 14, 2022, Wei was recruited via social media by a Chinese intelligence officer posing as a naval enthusiast linked to the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation.
A little over a week later, Wei mentioned to a friend also serving in the U.S. Navy that he was interacting with someone who seemed “extremely suspicious” and suspected he was “on the radar of a Chinese intelligence organization.”
The following day, Wei began communicating with the intelligence officer using a different encrypted messaging app, which he perceived to be more secure, and commenced spying for the intelligence officer, as stated by the DOJ.
Between March 2022 and when Wei was arrested on espionage charges as he arrived for work on the amphibious assault ship U.S.S. Essex at Naval Base San Diego in August 2023, Wei sent photographs and videos of the Essex, advised the officer of the location of various Navy ships and described the defensive weapons of the Essex at the request of the intelligence officer, the evidence revealed.
Wei received more than $12,000 over 18 months in exchange for the information.
Wei is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1 at 9 a.m.
