Chinese-Born U.S. Navy Sailor Convicted of Selling Secrets

 

On Wednesday, a court in California convicted a U.S. Navy sailor on charges of selling military secrets to China at a bargain price.  

Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Jinchao "Patrick" Wei was assigned to the amphib USS Essex at Naval Station San Diego. In February 2022, according to DOJ, Wei began working with a Chinese intelligence officer who information about Essex's systems, among other sensitive information. Wei sent him photos and videos of the ship, plus 60 technical manuals for Essex's weapons control systems, propulsion, steering system, elevators and casualty control systems. Wei also "disclosed what he believed to be a weak point of the USS Essex," according to prosecutors. 

Wei was born in China, and at the time the offenses began, he was not an American citizen (though he applied for and gained U.S. citizenship during the course of the plot). Prosecutors said that Wei's mother told him to spy for Chinese intelligence so that he would be able to get a future job with the Chinese Communist Party, a coveted career path in China. The near-term financial incentives were slim: for committing serious federal crimes, Wei was paid only $12,000 in total.  

Wei was arrested in 2023 and charged with delivering defense information to a foreign government and exporting defense articles without a license, along with related charges. He was held without bail as a serious flight risk, since he was a Chinese citizen and his handler had previously offered to fly him out of the country. 

Over the course of the past week, a federal jury heard his case and convicted him on six counts. He faces sentencing on December 1. 

“The defendant, who took an oath to protect our Nation and was entrusted with a security clearance as a petty officer in the United States Navy, sold out his country for $12,000,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “He violated his oath, betrayed his uniform and fellow sailors, and turned his back on his adopted nation for money."

FBI counterintelligence director Roman Rozhavsky warned in a statement that China continues to "aggressively target" U.S. military members, even ordinary enlisted personnel who lack high-level security clearances.