US Navy sailor Jinchao Wei was found guilty on Wednesday of spying for China. While on active duty, he used his security clearance to pass on sensitive details about American warships, including their weaknesses, according to a CNN report.
Who is Jinchao Wei?
Wei worked as a machinist’s mate on the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship docked at Naval Base San Diego. A machinist’s mate is a technician in the US Navy who maintains the ship’s mechanical and propulsion systems.
Wei will be sentenced on December 1 and could face up to life in prison.
According to the New York Times, prosecutors said that Wei, a naturalized US citizen, originally from China, betrayed the country he had chosen to live in. They said he used his security clearance to get sensitive information about US Navy ships and military activities.
Investigators explained that in February 2022, a Chinese intelligence officer contacted Wei through social media, the report added. The officer pretended to be a naval enthusiast working for China’s state-owned shipbuilding company. About a week later, Wei told a Navy friend that this person had offered him $500 a day in exchange for regular updates on which ships were docked at the base.
The report further added that Wei admitted to his friend that he understood that it was clear espionage, according to the Justice Department, which referred to this during his trial.
At one point, prosecutors said that Wei promised to give the Chinese officer information about the number and training of U.S. Marines involved in an upcoming international naval exercise.
What do Wei’s lawyers say?
According to the report, Sean Jones, the lawyer representing Jinchao Wei, said in an email on Wednesday that his client was considering to file an appeal. He admitted that Wei’s actions were wrong, but argued that charging him under the Espionage Act was also not appropriate.
Jones noted that while there was strong evidence of Wei’s improper communication with his contact in China, the trial also showed that Wei did not have any anti-American feelings or intention to harm the United States. According to him, Wei had been misled by someone he thought was a friend and ended up making poor decisions.
Prosecutors said that Wei appeared to be seeking US citizenship at the same time he was secretly working with China. However, the court acquitted him on one charge related to unlawfully obtaining citizenship.