Two US Navy Soldiers have been arrested on charges of espionage after selling secrets to the People’s Republic of China. The information the soldiers shared with China included details on wartime exercises, naval operations, and critical technical material. The information was so sensitive that it revealed the exact current and future locations of the U.S. military in very volatile parts of the world. Both of the soldiers are based in California but their cases are separate. They both pleaded guilty in federal courts in Los Angeles and San Diego.
Jinchao Wei, age 22, just recently became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He is originally a Chinese National. It is not clear if he became a citizen while in the military. What is clear is that back in February of 2022, a Chinese operative approached Wei with the offer of exchanging information for money. Wei agreed and thus his criminal activity began. Wenheng Zhao, a 26-year-old sailor based out of Naval Base Ventura County, allegedly conspired to collect $15,000 from a Chinese intelligence officer to sell military information. It is not clear if Zhao was born in China or the United States.
SOURCES:
2 US Navy sailors arrested on charges tied to national… | Daily Mail Online
2 US Navy sailors charged with providing sensitive military information to China | AP News
Two Navy sailors arrested for selling military secrets to China, DOJ says – YouTube
