A Navy sailor could face life in prison after a San Diego jury found him guilty Thursday of selling military secrets to China.
Prosecutors said Jinchao “Patrick” Wei, 25, exploited his role as a machinist’s mate aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex at Naval Base San Diego to gather sensitive information and offer it to a Chinese intelligence officer who recruited him in February 2022. Wei, who held a security clearance, had access to details about the Essex’s weapons systems.
In return, the officer paid Wei $12,000 over roughly 18 months.
A jury convicted Wei on six of seven charges, including espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act, and three counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act.
The espionage-related charges carry life sentences and a $250,000 fine. Conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and each count of violating the act carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
The Chinese intelligence officer initially approached Wei under the guise of being a naval enthusiast working for the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, a state-run company. Wei reportedly suspected a link to Chinese intelligence.
“Wei told his friend that he is ‘no idiot’ and that ‘this is quite obviously f—ing espionage,’” according to the Department of Justice.
Despite his suspicions, Wei began sending photos of the Essex and explaining vulnerabilities of ships at the San Diego Naval Base.
Wei’s attorney did not deny his wrongdoing but described him as young and naive, emphasizing that he “never intended to harm the United States.”
“It was never disputed that Jinchao made numerous errors in judgment. He was young and naive and regrettably agreed to share some very low-level information in exchange for easy money,” attorney Sean Jones said Thursday.
From March 2022 until his arrest in August 2023, Wei reportedly sent images, shared the locations of various Navy ships, and detailed the Essex’s defense systems.
He also provided the Chinese agent “thousands of pages of technical and operational information about U.S. Navy surface warfare ships like the Essex that he took from restricted U.S. Navy computer systems.”
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon called Wei’s actions an “egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military.”
“By trading military secrets to the People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies,” Gordon said. “The jury’s verdict serves as a crucial reminder that the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute traitors.”
Wei is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 1.
“If there is only one thing I can make clear, it is that Jinchao loves America. He has no allegiance to China,” his attorney said. “He made a stupid decision to make some easy money by selling outdated maintenance manuals to a broken and obsolete steam-powered ship. I firmly believe his actions had absolutely no effect on national security.”
Multiple Chinese nationals have been arrested for spying on U.S. military bases. Just last month, two were detained in Houston for allegedly trying to collect intelligence on U.S. Navy service members and bases and recruiting other military personnel to work for the Ministry of State Security, China’s primary foreign intelligence service.
