An US Navy officer carries a rifle as he proceeds with a surveillance shift at the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship docked at the Gdynia port on September 17, 2022 in Gdynia, Poland. As a key NATO ally, Poland is hosting two US warships.
A US Navy sailor pleaded guilty to conspiring with a Chinese spy officer. He also admitted to receiving thousands of dollars in bribes from the Chinese intelligence official.
He admitted his crimes in a plea agreement filed in the federal court in Los Angeles, confirming that the Chinese spy could receive unclassified private military information about the US military.
US Navy Sailor Admits Conspiring With Chinese Spy Officer
According to The Guardian's latest report, 26-year-old Petty Officer Wenheng "Thomas" Zhao pleaded guilty to accepting almost $15,000 in bribes from an unnamed Chinese spy official.
He explained that he received this money in exchange for photographs of unclassified private U.S. military information. Specifically, Thomas admitted that he was sending plans for US military exercises in the Indo-Pacific region.
Aside from this, the Chinese intelligence officer also received operational orders, electrical diagrams, and blueprints for a radar system on the US military base in Japan.
Because of this, the person who worked at the Nava Base in Ventura County in California faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment on the charges.
ABC News reported that Zhao has been in custody since his arrest on August 3. But a judge hasn't determined the US Navy sailor's final sentence yet.
US Atty. Martin Estrada of the California central district argued that the US Navy officer "betrayed his country" and the American people of the US Navy by accepting bribes in exchange for critical military information.
Matthew G Olsen, the assistant attorney general of the justice department's national security division, heavily condemned Zhao after being arrested in August.
"These individuals stand accused of violating the commitments they made to protect the United States and betraying the public trust, to the benefit of the [Chinese] government," he said.
Read Also: China Exposes CIA Spy Who Worked for Military Company
Another US Navy Sailor Accused of Conspiring With China's Spies
Graduating Midshipmen arrive for the U.S. Naval Academy Graduation and Commissioning Ceremony at the Naval Academy May 26, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. The 2023 graduating class of 1,018 Midshipmen will be commissioned as ensigns in the Navy or second lieutenants in the Marine Corps.
Another US Navy sailor in California was arrested due to similar Chinese espionage crimes when Thomas was arrested.
22-year-old Jinchai Wei, assigned to the San Diego-based USS Essex, also faces charges of providing detailed weapons systems and aircraft information to a Chinese spy officer.
Critics said that the cases of Zhao and Wei are just the tip of the iceberg in China's larger espionage scheme. But, unlike Thomas, Jinchai decided to plead not guilty in federal court in San Diego.
If you want to learn more details about Wei's separate case, you can click this link.
Related Article: US Navy Sailor Sells Naval Secrets to China, Says Mom Encouraged Him to Trade Sensitive Military Details
