US Navy sailor convicted of spying for China, faces potential life sentence

A federal jury convicted a U.S. Navy sailor of spying for Beijing after he agreed to sell military secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer for $12,000, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. The jury convicted 25-year-old Jinchao Wei, otherwise known as Patrick Wei, on six of seven counts, including espionage and the illegal export of technical data.

Jurors found Wei not guilty on one count of naturalization fraud. 

Reaction

“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 a statement. “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.”

“Today’s conviction of the defendant for committing espionage — centered on the deliberate targeting and enticement of U.S. military personnel to betray their country — demonstrates the lengths to which the People’s Republic of China will go to undermine our country’s security,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office, Mark Dargis, said in a statement.

The investigation

Authorities arrested Wei, a naval officer at the time, in August 2023 on spying charges. They made the arrest as he showed up for work on the USS Essex, an amphibious ship that is similar to a small aircraft carrier, at Naval Base San Diego. A federal grand jury later indicted him on the charges.

Prosecutors said Wei sent sensitive information between March 2022 and August 2023 to an intelligence officer working for Beijing. They said he communicated with the intelligence officer through social media and shared sensitive information regarding the USS Essex’s defense capabilities as well as propulsion systems, including photographs as well as technical and operating manuals.

Investigators with the FBI said China paid Wei $12,000 over 18 months for his work.

Prosecutors said Wei was aware of the sensitive information he was sharing. Wei later expressed fear he would be caught, pointing to documented conversations with a friend and an interview with FBI agents.

Investigators said that Wei told a friend also in the U.S. Navy that he believed he was “on the radar of a China intelligence organization.” He also said a suspicious person “interested in the maintenance cycle of naval ships” had contacted him and asked him to monitor the ships docked daily. According to court documents, Wei told the colleague he was “no idiot” and that “this is quite obviously f—ing espionage.”

Wei is set to be sentenced on Dec. 1. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.