Wednesday, January 14, 2026- A former U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, 25, has been sentenced to 200 months (about 16½ years in federal prison) after being convicted on multiple espionage‑related charges for selling U.S. military secrets to Chinese intelligence operatives.
Wei, who also went by the name Patrick Wei, was serving on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex at Naval Base San Diego when he began passing sensitive information to someone he believed was a naval enthusiast but who was actually working for Chinese intelligence. Prosecutors said Wei received more than $12,000 in exchange for technical manuals, operational data, photographs, and videos that compromised national security.
According to court evidence, Wei was recruited online in 2022 and continued sharing sensitive material from March of that year until his arrest in August 2023. Despite early suspicion and warnings from a friend that the contact appeared to be espionage, Wei persisted in communicating through encrypted apps and transmitting export‑controlled information that included ship locations, systems operations, and defense capabilities.
A federal jury in August 2025 convicted him on six counts, including conspiracy to commit espionage and violations of national defense export laws, reflecting the serious breach of trust inherent in his actions.
U.S. officials condemned the betrayal, emphasizing that military personnel are entrusted with safeguarding the nation’s secrets and that this sentence sends a clear message that espionage will be met with severe consequences.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about foreign intelligence efforts to infiltrate and exploit individuals with access to classified military information. Law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation stressed their commitment to protecting national security and holding insiders accountable for compromising sensitive defense data.
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