Home / Crime and Justice / US Sailor Jailed for Selling Secrets to China
US Sailor Jailed for Selling Secrets to China
14 Jan
Summary
- Sailor sentenced to over 16 years for selling US Navy secrets.
- Traded USS Essex data and fleet locations for $12,000.
- Used encrypted apps and deleted messages to hide espionage.
Jinchao Wei, a 25-year-old former US Navy machinist mate, received a sentence of 200 months (over 16 years) in federal prison for espionage. Wei was convicted of selling classified military secrets concerning the amphibious assault ship USS Essex and US Navy vessel locations to an agent of the Chinese Communist Party. The transactions, which spanned 18 months, yielded Wei $12,000.
Authorities revealed Wei began communicating with a Chinese intelligence officer on social media in early 2022. Despite suspecting the contact was an intelligence operative, Wei continued the exchanges, moving to a secure encrypted messaging app. He transmitted thousands of pages of technical manuals, photos, videos, and details on weapons systems and damage control procedures directly from his work computers.
Wei's disloyalty was further highlighted by his online searches for flights to China after his handler promised to fly him and his mother there. The FBI and NCIS uncovered the spy ring through examination of his phone messages, payment receipts, and other digital records. Wei ultimately admitted to espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage, and unlawfully exporting restricted defense information.
