A U.S. Navy sailor was sentenced to more than two years in prison for transmitting classified information to Chinese military operatives, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday.
Private Sergeant Zhao Wenheng, 26, pleaded guilty in October 2023 to accepting bribes from Chinese nationals in exchange for nonpublic U.S. information he collected while performing his duties. according to to the Department of Justice. Mr. Zhao was dishonorably discharged and subsequently sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and a $5,500 fine for his crimes. (Related: US intelligence reveals why Chinese President Xi gave a sledgehammer to the military)
US Navy sailor sentenced to 27 months in prison for transmitting classified US military information to Chinese intelligence agencieshttps://t.co/LUNle8F22t pic.twitter.com/ppdRVBe38q
— U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division (@DOJNatSec) January 8, 2024
“Make no mistake, China is engaged in aggressive efforts to undermine the national security of the United States and its partners. By providing classified U.S. information to Chinese intelligence officials, Mr. Zhao violated his oath to our country. He chose to betray and endanger another country,” Larissa L. Knapp, the FBI's chief of staff for national security, said in a statement Monday. “The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly demonstrated that it is free to break any law or norm to achieve intellectual superiority.”
“Today's ruling proves once again that Chinese intelligence agencies cannot prevent the FBI and our valued partners from arresting and prosecuting Chinese-employed spies,” Knapp said.
The Justice Department said Zhao held special security clearance, which he used to gather information about the U.S. Navy's “operational security, military training and exercises, and critical infrastructure.” The information Mr. Zhao collected included plans for naval exercises in the Pacific region and the technical layout of Japan's radar systems.
Mr. Zhao then used “highly encrypted communication methods” to send messages to Beijing in exchange for bribe payments. According to the Justice Department, he received a total of $14,866 from Beijing in more than a dozen installments between August 2021 and May 2023.
The United States has struggled to keep pace with China's intelligence and espionage efforts, but little is known about Beijing's long-term plans on the global front. “We have no insight into the plans or intentions of the leaders in China,” a former senior intelligence official told The Wall Street Journal in December.
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