Two US Navy Sailors Arrested Sharing Military Information With China;A grand jury charged Wei with conspiracy to send national defense information to China. They charged Zhao with taking bribes in exchange for transmitting sensitive US military intel to the Asian nation as well.

 

Two US Navy Sailors Arrested Sharing Military Information With China

(RepublicanReport.org) – When men and women of the United States join the armed forces, they swear to protect America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Military members dedicated a minimum of three years and sometimes 20 or more to protect the citizens of the US. Although honorable for most, some don’t have the country’s best interests at heart. Two men were recently arrested for allegedly sending state secrets to a foreign nation.

On August 3, the Office of Public Affairs at the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that authorities took US Navy sailor Jinchao Wei and US Navy Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao into custody the previous day. A grand jury charged Wei with conspiracy to send national defense information to China. They charged Zhao with taking bribes in exchange for transmitting sensitive US military intel to the Asian nation as well.

According to the press release, the indictment said Wei started talking to a Chinese intelligence officer in early 2022. He asked the US sailor to send him images, videos, and documentation about various Naval ships and their capabilities. Wei allegedly complied, sending the officer what he requested, details about defense weapons systems and the ships’ locations. The indictment claims that Wei supplied the Chinese intelligence officer with several technical and mechanical manuals in the early summer of that year. He also sent information about how many Marines would be at an upcoming maritime warfare exercise and details about their training. This relationship — intel for money — reportedly went on into 2023.The announcement said Zhao’s alleged actions detailed in his separate indictment stated that his money for information scheme started in August 2021 and continued well into May 2023. The petty officer reportedly sent a Chinese military officer specific details about a large-scale US military exercise in the region. Zhao is also accused of sharing photos, diagrams, and blueprints of a US military base’s radar system station in Okinawa, Japan.