A former U.S. Navy sailor was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison on Monday for selling instructional and procedural information and documentation to Chinese intelligence officials.
Jinchao Wei, also known as Patrick, served on the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship,at Naval Base San Diego, California. The base is of great strategic importance to the U.S. as it is the homeport of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Wei was arrested in August 2023 while reporting for duty, according to the Department of Justice.
He was accused of selling defense secrets to a Chinese spy for $12,000 and was later indicted. A grand jury convicted him in August 2025, and he was sentenced to 200 months in prison on Monday for his crimes.
“Members of the United States military swear to support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “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.”
According to evidence presented during the trial, Wei was first contacted by Chinese espionage operatives in Feb. 2022 through social media who sought to obtain information from Wei due to his role as a machinist’s mate aboard the USS Essex. He was also considered valuable due to his security clearance, granting him access to vital information about the ship’s technology and infrastructure, the DOJ reported.
Wei then began sending the Chinese spy photographs and videos of the Essex, according to the DOJ. He described the intricate details of the vessel and the problems encountered on board the ship. He also provided the Chinese spy with “thousands of pages of technical and operational information about U.S. Navy surface warfare ships like the Essex that he took from restricted U.S. Navy computer systems.” He was compensated $12,000 over the course of 18 months of spying for his Chinese handler.
Wei was convicted on six charges, including espionage, conspiracy to commit espionage, unlawful export of, and conspiracy to export, technical data related to defense articles. He was found to have violated the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, according to the Department of Justice.
Members of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and other members of the U.S. Justice Department were heavily critical of Wei’s crimes.
“By sharing thousands of documents, operating manuals, and export-controlled and sensitive information with a Chinese intelligence officer, Petty Officer Wei knowingly betrayed his fellow service members and the American people,” said NCIS Director Omar Lopez. “Today’s outcome demonstrates the shared commitment of NCIS, FBI, the Department of Justice, and our Intelligence partners to aggressively pursue and hold accountable those who would put the lethality and readiness of our Naval fleet, as well as our national security, at risk. NCIS remains steadfast in its mission to protect U.S. Navy and Marine Corps forces and warfighting capabilities by neutralizing counterintelligence threats ashore, afloat, and in cyberspace.”
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“Wei betrayed the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. Navy by knowingly transmitting sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence officer,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “While not everything the FBI does to protect the homeland from China’s intelligence services can be made public, this sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protect sensitive national defense information. It also serves as a reminder that those who choose to put personal gain above their oath and the safety of our nation will be brought to justice.”
“He betrayed his oath, his shipmates, the United States Navy, and the American people — a level of disloyalty that strikes at the heart of our national security and demanded this powerful sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.
