Former US Navy sailor learns sentence for spying for China

A former U.S. Navy sailor who was convicted last year of spying for China was sentenced this week to 200 months in prison. 

Jinchao Wei, 25, who was arrested in August 2023, was a machinist’s mate on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex at Naval Base San Diego. Prosecutors said Wei used his position to collect sensitive information and offered it to a Chinese intelligence officer who recruited him in February 2022. In exchange for his efforts, Wei was paid $12,000 over a year and a half. 

"Members of the United States military swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States," Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Monday. "This active-duty U.S. Navy sailor betrayed his country and compromised the national security of the United States." 

"The Justice Department will not tolerate this behavior. We stand ready to investigate, defend, and protect the interests of the American people," Blanche added.

NAVY SAILOR CONVICTED AFTER SELLING MILITARY SECRETS TO CHINA FOR $12,000 PAYMENT

The Justice Department said Wei told FBI investigators following his arrest that, "I’m screwed," and when asked why he felt that way, he said, "That I’m sharing the unclassified document to — I mean document with, uhm, him … I’m not supposed to do that." 

A jury convicted Wei on six of seven charges: espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and three counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act.   

"In one of his larger thefts of U.S. Navy data, Wei sold the intelligence officer at least 30 technical and operating manuals about U.S. Navy systems," the Justice Department said. "These manuals contained export control warnings and detailed the operations of multiple systems aboard the Essex and similar ships, including power, steering, weapons control, aircraft and deck elevators, as well as damage and casualty controls."

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"In total, Wei sold the intelligence officer approximately 60 technical and operating manuals about U.S. Navy ships, as well as dozens of photographs and papers about the U.S. Navy and Wei’s assignments on the Essex. Many of the manuals contained conspicuous export-control warnings on their cover pages," it added. 

"Wei swore loyalty to the United States when he joined the Navy and reaffirmed that oath when he became a citizen," Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a statement. "He then accepted the solemn responsibility of protecting this Nation’s secrets when the United States entrusted him with sensitive Navy information.  He made a mockery of these commitments when he chose to endanger our Nation and our servicemembers by selling U.S. military secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer for personal profit.

An attorney for Wei previously said he did not deny that his actions were wrong but characterized him as young and naive, arguing he "never intended to harm the United States." 

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.