A federal jury in San Diego on Wednesday sentenced a U.S. Navy sailor born in China for espionage and related charges stemming from sharing military secrets with a Chinese intelligence officer.
The jury convicted Jinchao “Patrick” Wei, 25, on six counts of conspiracy, espionage, and charges related to the illegal transmission of defense information to a foreign government. The jury acquitted Wei, a naturalized U.S. citizen, on a single charge of naturalization fraud.
During closing arguments Tuesday, a prosecutor from the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice stated, “This is not a case about the defendant’s hatred for the United States or his loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.” Federal prosecutor Adam Barry told the jury, “Jinchao Wei’s loyalty was to jinchao Wei. Jinchao Wei was loyal to Jinchao Wei.”
Barry told the jury that a Chinese intelligence officer, who recruited Wei on social media, ultimately paid him at least $12,000 in exchange for technical manuals containing information about weapons, defense, and propulsion systems for the USS Essex and othre similar U.S. Navy ships.The jury deliberated for approximately seven hours over Tuesday and Wednesday, following four days of arguments and testimony last week.
“The defendant’s actions represent a blatant betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military,” said Adam Gordon, a federal prosecutor in the San Diego area, in a statement. “By exchanging military secrets with the People’s Republic of China for money, he endangered not only the lives of his fellow service members but also the security of the nation and our allies. The jury’s verdict serves as a critical reminder that the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute those who betray our country.”
Wei grew up in China as an only child raised by a single mother, and they moved from China to Wisconsin in 2016. Wei joined the Navy in July 2021, shortly after graduating high school, and reported to the USS Essex in March 2022, according to prosecutors and his Navy service record.
Around the same time he was assigned to San Diego, Wei applied for U.S. citizenship and began a friendship on a Chinese social network with an individual prosecutors say was a Chinese intelligence officer.
Initially, the intelligence officer presented himself as a naval enthusiast working for the China Naval Construction Industry Corporation, a state-owned enterprise. However, prosecutors informed the jury that Wei quickly realized the individual was likely a spy, and the officer allegedly asked Wei to send photos, videos, and other documents related to U.S. Navy ships and their systems.
federal agents arrested Wei in August 2023 as he arrived for work at the San Diego Naval Base. At the time, Wei was a non-commissioned officer with security clearance and worked as a machinist’s mate aboard the USS Essex. He had been under surveillance by federal agents for over six months, during which they installed hidden microphones in his apartment and intercepted his phone calls.
As a WASP-class amphibious assault ship, the USS Essex resembles a small aircraft carrier capable of carrying more than 1,000 sailors and 1,500 Marines, allowing the United States to rapidly deploy troops to regions such as the Persian Gulf and the South China Sea. Deputy Federal Prosecutor John Parmley told the jury during his opening arguments that China is “desperately trying” to keep pace with U.S. technology while building its own similar class of amphibious assault ships.A special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service testified during the trial that the leak of information about U.S. Navy ships, even basic information, “could jeopardize U.S. military advantage” and reveal vulnerabilities an adversary could exploit.