A former US Navy sailor has been sentenced to a 27-month prison term for espionage activities. The individual, Wenheng Zhao, aged 26, was convicted of providing sensitive military information to Chinese intelligence.
Zhao, a petty officer stationed at a naval base in California, admitted his involvement in espionage activities. His guilty plea came in October, acknowledging that he had been passing confidential information to Chinese intelligence operatives in exchange for financial compensation.
Between 2021 and 2023, Zhao disclosed details regarding US Navy exercises, operational orders, and vital infrastructure. His disclosures included sensitive data about the US Navy’s extensive drills in the Indo-Pacific region and electrical diagrams and blueprints of a radar system at the US base in Okinawa, Japan. The Okinawa base is a strategic point for the US Navy’s operations in Asia, especially amidst growing military tensions with China.
The US has increasingly focused on the Indo-Pacific region, enhancing alliances and conducting joint naval drills with allies to counter China’s military expansion. There was no indication from US authorities that information related to the naval drills of other countries was compromised.
Zhao, who had security clearance, accessed restricted military areas at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme to gather this information. He utilized sophisticated encrypted communication methods for transmitting the data, destroyed evidence, and hid his connections with a Chinese intelligence agent. From August 2021 to May 2023, Zhao received at least 14 bribes totaling over $14,866.
Born in China, Zhao became a naturalized US citizen after immigrating in 2009. He enlisted in the US Navy in 2017. He was apprehended in California in August and subsequently pleaded guilty in October to the charges of espionage.
The sentencing at a Californian district court falls short of the maximum 20-year sentence he could have faced. Authorities have not disclosed his motivations, other than financial incentives.
Matthew Olsen, Assistant Attorney General of the US Justice Department, commented on the case, emphasizing the ongoing threats posed by Chinese intelligence services to US military personnel. He reiterated the commitment of US authorities to counter these espionage efforts.
In a related case, another US Navy member, Jinchao Wei, was arrested for similar offenses. Wei, also a naturalized US citizen, is accused of transferring national defense information to China.
China’s embassy in Washington has responded to these incidents, stating unawareness of Zhao’s case specifics and accusing the US of exaggerating espionage allegations.
