U.S. Navy sailor convicted of selling secrets to China

A U.S. Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of charges that helium sold subject secrets, including details astir subject warships, to a Chinese quality serviceman portion connected progressive work successful speech for payment. 

Jinchao Wei, besides known arsenic Patrick Wei, who was an active-duty sailor stationed astatine Naval Base San Diego, was recovered blameworthy by a assemblage successful national tribunal successful San Diego of six counts. The charges connected which helium was convicted see conspiracy to perpetrate espionage, espionage, and unlawful export of method information astir U.S. defence vehicles successful speech for $12,000. 

Wei was a machinist's mate successful the U.S.S. Essex, an amphibious battle ship, and held a information clearance that gave him entree to delicate nationalist information defence accusation astir the ship's operations and capabilities. 

Federal prosecutors alleged that Wei was approached successful February 2022 implicit societal media by idiosyncratic who claimed to beryllium a naval enthusiast, but successful world was a Chinese quality officer. Between the clip of their archetypal brushwood and Wei's apprehension successful August 2023, Wei sent photographs, videos and accusation astir the ship's weapons to his handler, successful summation to accusation astir vessel question and the imaginable vulnerabilities of the vessels. Wei besides sent accusation astir different Navy ships that helium had taken from restricted machine systems. He was paid $12,000 implicit that play by the Chinese agent. 

Prosecutors besides presented grounds that Wei and the Chinese cause tried to screen up their communications. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office successful Southern California, Wei utilized encrypted apps and created aggregate online accounts to person payments from his Chinese handler, whom helium referred to arsenic "Big Brother Andy." Prosecutors said Wei utilized integer "dead drops" and a machine and telephone that were provided by the agent.

When Wei began providing the handler with information, helium told different U.S. Navy sailor that helium had been asked to spy for the Chinese government, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. 

After helium was arrested, Wei was asked by FBI investigators to picture his actions involving the Chinese quality agent. 

"Espionage," helium responded, according to prosecutors. They said Wei, during that interrogation besides told investigators, "I'm screwed."

"The defendant, who took an oath to support our Nation and was entrusted with a information clearance arsenic a petty serviceman successful the United States Navy, sold retired his state for $12,000," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said successful a statement. "He violated his oath, betrayed his azygous and chap sailors, and turned his backmost connected his adopted federation for money. This verdict serves arsenic a informing to those who bash not instrumentality earnestly the solemn obligations of their positions of spot oregon their work to this Nation. Do not beryllium tempted by casual wealth due to the fact that you volition beryllium prosecuted and sent to prison."

Wei is scheduled to beryllium sentenced connected Dec. 1. The maximum punishment for the charges is beingness successful prison.

Wei's lawyer, Sean Jones, said successful a connection to CBS News,"It was ne'er disputed that Jinchao made galore errors successful judgment. He was young and naive and regrettably agreed to stock immoderate precise debased level accusation successful speech for casual money." 

He said Wei "loves America" and "has nary allegiance to China," and believed helium was selling the accusation to idiosyncratic for "the evident idiosyncratic oregon nonrecreational payment of the recipient," and not for the payment of China. Jones said the accusation Wei sold consisted of "outdated attraction manuals to a breached and obsolete steam powered ship." Jones added that helium believes Wei's actions had "absolutely nary effect connected nationalist security" and expressed anticipation that "given the important mitigating factors helium volition person a just sentence."

The Chinese official's palmy spying efforts are viewed arsenic portion of a developing area in Chinese covert activities that counterintelligence officials are calling "virtual espionage." The signifier — successful which Chinese quality officers people members of the subject and others of precocious involvement connected societal media, gully them into correspondence, and extract delicate accusation from them — is seen arsenic a rising threat, officials told CBS News.

In March, 2 active-duty U.S. soldiers and 1 erstwhile worker were arrested aft being accused of selling authorities secrets to overseas countries, including China, the Justice Department announced.

In a separate case from 2024, different U.S. Navy petty serviceman pleaded blameworthy to handing implicit delicate accusation astir the U.S. subject aft he was contacted successful a banal trading chat radical connected the Chinese-owned societal media web WeChat.