Spying Scandal: US Naval Officer Gets Two-Year Prison Sentence for Helping China
The US Justice Department announced on Monday that a petty officer of the US Navy who pleaded guilty to disclosing classified military information to a Chinese intelligence officer received a sentence of over two years in prison.
Wenheng Zhao, 26, and Jinchao Wei, an additional American sailor, were apprehended in August on charges of espionage for China. In October, Zhao pled guilty in federal court in California to collaborating with a foreign intelligence operative and taking a bribe.
On Monday, he was sentenced to 27 months in prison and a fine of $5,500. According to US officials, Zhao, who served at a naval outpost north of Los Angeles, collected approximately $15,000 from the Chinese intelligence officer between August 2021 and May 2023.
Zhao’s Betrayal and the Costly Information Shared
In exchange, he provided sensitive intelligence on US Navy operational security, exercises, and key infrastructure. Zhao especially gave information on a large-scale naval training exercise in the Pacific, as well as electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system in Okinawa, Japan.
“Mr Zhao betrayed his solemn oath to defend his country and endangered those who serve in the US military,” assistant attorney general Matthew Olsen said in a statement. “The justice department is committed to combatting the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine our nation’s security and holding accountable those who violate our laws as part of those efforts.”
Wei, who served on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, is accused of giving China thousands of documents, images, and videos outlining ship operations and systems.
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