Former Navy Sailor Sentenced to 16 Years for Selling Information About Ships to Chinese Intelligence
Jinchao Wei sold about 60 Navy manuals and related materials for over $12,000 to a Chinese intelligence officer over 18 months, prosecutors said.
- On Monday, a federal judge in San Diego sentenced Jinchao "Patrick" Wei to 200 months after a jury convicted him in August on six counts, including espionage.
- Wei joined the Navy in July 2021, reported to the USS Essex in March 2022, and was one of two California-based sailors charged August 3, 2023, at Naval Base San Diego.
- Prosecutors presented evidence that Wei sold 60 technical manuals, including weapons and aircraft guides, and was paid $12,000 while federal agents bugged his apartment and tapped his phone.
- Prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego recommended a sentence of more than 20 years, arguing Wei acted for "cold, hard cash," while Judge Huff said a lengthy term was needed to deter others; Wei likely faces civil denaturalization and Navy discharge proceedings.
- U.S. officials note that concerns about Chinese espionage have risen in recent years, while defense attorneys Sean Jones and Michael Bertola argued Wei was manipulated by the intelligence officer posing as a mentor.
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Jinchao Wei, a 25-year-old ex-mariner, was sentenced to 200 months in prison (16 years) by a federal judge in San Diego. The jury found him guilty of six serious crimes, including military espionage.
MichaelSavage.com – US Navy sailor Jinchao Wei sentenced to 16 years in prison for selling secrets to China after being encouraged by mother
A China-born US Navy sailor who sold sensitive ship information to the Chinese government under the encouragement of his mother was ordered to spend 16 years in prison on Monday. Jinchao Wei, 25, was blasted as a “traitor” as he was ordered to spend 200 months behind bars by a federal judge in San Diego…
US Navy sailor Jinchao Wei sentenced to 16 years in prison for selling secrets to China after being encouraged by mother
Jinchao Wei, 25, was blasted as a "traitor" as he was ordered to spend 200 months behind bars by a federal judge in San Diego for selling national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of China for $12,000.
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