Ex-Navy Sailor Gets 200-Month Term for Selling Ship Secrets to China

A former U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, was sentenced in San Diego to 200 months in prison after being convicted of espionage for providing 60 technical and operating manuals and other sensitive ship data from the USS Essex to a Chinese intelligence officer over about 18 months; he was recruited via social media by a representative of the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corp and paid more than $12,000. A second California-based sailor, Wenheng Zhao, received just over two years in 2024 after pleading guilty to conspiracy and bribery in connection with similar allegations. The case highlights ongoing concerns about Beijing's espionage activities targeting U.S. military secrets.