Former US Sailor Receives 16-Year Sentence for Chinese Espionage

Jinchao Wei, USS Essex Engineer, Receives Harsh Sentence

A former United States Navy sailor has been sentenced to over 16 years in prison after being found guilty of selling technical and operational manuals for ships to an intelligence officer working for China. On Monday, a federal judge in San Diego sentenced Jinchao Wei, 25, to 200 months behind bars.

In August, a jury found Wei guilty on six counts, including espionage, based on accusations that he was paid over $12,000 for the information, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. Wei, an engineer for the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, was one of two California sailors charged on August 3, 2023, with providing sensitive military information to China.

The other sailor, Wenheng Zhao, was sentenced to more than two years in 2024 after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of accepting bribes, thereby violating his official duties. Over the years, U.S. officials have expressed concerns about the espionage threat posed by the Chinese government, and prosecutors have pursued criminal cases against Beijing operatives who have stolen sensitive government and commercial information through illegal hacking.

Wei was recruited through social media in 2022 by an intelligence officer who posed as a naval enthusiast working for the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, according to prosecutors. Evidence presented in court showed that Wei told a friend that the individual was "extremely suspicious" and that it was "pretty obvious" it involved espionage. Wei ignored his friend's advice to delete the contact and moved conversations with the intelligence officer to an encrypted messaging app that he considered safer.

Over the course of 18 months, Wei sent the officer photographs and videos of the USS Essex, provided information about the locations of various naval vessels, and discussed the ship's defensive weapons. Wei sold the intelligence officer 60 technical and operational manuals, including those for the control of weaponry, aircraft, and deck lifts. The manuals contained export control warnings and detailed the operations of several systems onboard the USS Essex and similar vessels.

In a letter to the judge prior to sentencing, Wei expressed remorse and stated that he should not have shared anything with someone he considered a friend. Wei remarked that "introversion and loneliness" had affected his judgment.