A U.S. Navy officer who sent photos of U.S. military facilities in Asia and details of naval training exercises to intelligence officers working for the Chinese government was sentenced Monday to more than two years in prison.
The 27-month sentence in federal court for American officer Wenheng Chao, also known as Thomas, is similar to sentences handed down to other American citizens convicted of spying for China over the years. It was lighter than the In 2019, former CIA officer Kevin Patrick Mallory was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
The incident is a reminder of the widespread shadow war of espionage that has accompanied the escalating conflict between China and the United States.
U.S. officials are also concerned that China is expanding its key intelligence services and investing in a wide range of recruitment efforts, including American nationals. The Chinese government is offering tens of thousands of dollars in rewards to Chinese nationals who report spying as part of a large-scale warning against foreign enemies.
In the case of Zhao, an electrician who worked at the Ventura County Naval Base in California, prosecutors say he received nearly $15,000 from an intelligence officer working for the Chinese government between August 2021 and at least May 2023. announced that it had received it.
Instead, the 26-year-old Chao used encrypted communications to send photos and videos of restricted areas inside military facilities and to the U.S. Navy in Asia, according to an indictment filed in July. It is said that he sent confidential information such as exercise plans to the person in charge. Publish the handler’s name.
The indictment says Mr. Zhao also sent officials details about the movements of U.S. Navy ships and blueprints for electrical systems that house radar systems at a U.S. naval base on Japan’s Okinawa Island.
Mr. Zhao, who held the rank of Petty Officer 2nd Class, was indicted last summer in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and receiving bribes. If convicted, the charges carry a combined maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, suspended prison sentence and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
In a plea agreement filed in October, federal prosecutors said they would recommend a lighter sentence as long as Mr. Zhao agreed to plead guilty, which he did. In addition to the 27-month prison sentence, he was also fined $5,500.
Zhao’s lawyer, Tarek Shawky, said in an email late Monday that the defense team was disappointed because they had expected a shorter prison sentence (12 to 18 months), which was the recommendation of probation officers. He said that it would have been consistent with that.
“Mr. Chao is remorseful, accepts responsibility, and remains hopeful that his sentence will be consistent with applicable law, facts, and guidelines,” Shawkey said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to an overnight inquiry into the case, and the court did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii referred questions to the Pacific Fleet, which did not immediately respond to an investigation.
The Justice Department said Chinese intelligence agencies are targeting U.S. military personnel with security clearance and attempting to undermine U.S. national security. The ministry said in a statement Monday that Zhao’s sentence shows that it cannot prevent U.S. authorities from arresting and prosecuting spies recruited by China.
China typically argues that such accusations are defamatory and that the United States is the world’s biggest spy power.
When the Justice Department announced Zhao’s arrest in August, it was investigating another espionage case involving Jingchao Wei, a U.S. Navy sailor in his early 20s who was assigned to an amphibious assault ship and served in the Pacific Fleet. announced. Headquarters are in San Diego. The case, where Wei, known as Patrick, could receive life in prison if convicted, is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Prosecutors in Wei’s case said he accepted thousands of dollars from intelligence agents working for the Chinese government. Among other things, he is said to have revealed the locations of naval ships and sent photos and videos of the USS Essex, which was stationed there at the time.
claire fu contributed to research.