A San Diego jury has recently convicted two US Navy sailors of espionage and related charges for passing sensitive military information to Chinese intelligence contacts, closing a case that spotlighted vulnerabilities inside America’s fleet.
The arrests came in August 2023, when the Department of Justice revealed that Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Jinchao Wei (also known as Patrick Wei) and Construction Electrician 2nd Class Wenheng Zhao (also known as Thomas Zhao) were under investigation for selling information about Navy operations. Both were stationed in California—Wei aboard the amphibious warship USS Essex (LHD-2) and Zhao at Naval Construction Group 1 in Port Hueneme.
Court documents later showed that Chinese intelligence officers had posed as “researchers” or naval enthusiasts when they first made contact. By early 2022, both sailors had begun sending information in exchange for money.
Wei: Espionage from the USS Essex
Wei, 25, joined the Navy in 2021 and was assigned to the Essex in March 2022. As a machinist’s mate with a security clearance, he had access to the ship’s weapons, propulsion, and desalination systems.
According to evidence presented in court, Wei communicated with a Chinese intelligence officer who asked for photos, videos, and manuals about amphibious ships, as well as details on the Navy’s “lightning carrier” F-35 concept. Wei even discussed operational issues at the San Diego base.
Investigators uncovered messages in which Wei told a friend he knew the work was espionage. Over 18 months, he received $12,000 for the material he supplied.
After his arrest, he admitted his role, calling his actions “espionage.”
On Wednesday, August 20, a federal jury convicted Jinchao Wei (Patrick Wei), a 25-year-old machinist mate with the U.S. Navy, on six counts, including conspiracy to commit espionage, espionage, and unlawful export of, and conspiracy to export, technical data related to defense… pic.twitter.com/EARqL6INW7
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) August 23, 2025
The jury convicted Wei on six of seven counts, including espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act. He faces a possible life sentence.
Zhao: Bribes for Blueprints
Zhao, now-27, who enlisted in 2017, was accused of accepting bribes from a Chinese official while serving as a construction electrician.
Prosecutors stated that he shared operational plans for large-scale naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, including documents marked as controlled unclassified information (CUI) or for official use only (FOUO).
Zhao also shared photos of computer screens with operational orders, along with diagrams and blueprints of US radar systems. His handler specifically asked for documents with higher classification markings, according to the indictment.
In January 2024, Zhao pleaded guilty to conspiracy and bribery charges. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison.
A Case of Vulnerability
The case underscores how relatively junior sailors, when targeted by foreign intelligence, can compromise sensitive US military information.
Prosecutors said the information provided jeopardized ship security, exposed operational weaknesses, and risked giving China insight into US amphibious capabilities.
“The defendant’s (Wei) actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the US military,” US Attorney Adam Gordon said after Wei’s conviction, noting the danger posed to fellow sailors and allies.
The convictions of Wei and Zhao mark a stark reminder: espionage against the US military does not always come from shadowy figures in distant capitals—it can emerge from within the ranks of sailors standing watch on American ships and bases.