Current:Home > StocksCalifornia-based Navy sailor pleads guilty to providing sensitive military information to China-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
California-based Navy sailor pleads guilty to providing sensitive military information to China
View Date:2024-12-23 20:43:56
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A U.S. Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China pleaded guilty in Los Angeles on Tuesday to conspiring with a foreign intelligence officer and receiving a bribe, federal prosecutors said.
Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, originally pleaded not guilty when he was charged Aug. 4. The Justice Department alleges that Zhao, based at Naval Base Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, conspired to collect nearly $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos of involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities.
The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, which detailed the location and timing of naval force movements, prosecutors said. The Chinese officer told Zhao the information was needed for maritime economic research to inform investment decisions, according to the indictment.
Zhao, who also went by the name Thomas Zhao and held a U.S. security clearance, “admitted he engaged in a corrupt scheme to collect and transmit sensitive U.S. military information to the intelligence officer in violation of his official duties,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Tuesday.
Zhao, of Monterey Park, California, faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. He has been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 3.
Zhao was charged on the same day as another California-based Navy sailor who is accused of similar crimes. But they are separate cases, and federal officials haven’t said if the two were courted or paid by the same Chinese intelligence officer as part of a larger scheme.
Jinchao Wei, a 22-year-old assigned to the San Diego-based USS Essex, is charged with providing detailed information on the weapons systems and aircraft aboard the Essex and other amphibious assault ships that act as small aircraft carriers. He pleaded not guilty in federal court in San Diego.
Last week, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer was charged in Seattle with attempting to provide classified defense information to the Chinese security services during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sgt. Joseph Daniel Schmidt, 29, was arrested Oct. 6 at San Francisco International Airport as he arrived from Hong Kong, where he had been living since March 2020, the Justice Department said.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with retention and attempted delivery of national defense information. U.S. District Court records in Seattle did not yet list an attorney representing Schmidt on the charges, and neither the U.S. attorney’s office nor the federal public defender’s office had information about whether he had a lawyer.
An FBI declaration filed in the case quoted Schmidt as telling his sister in an email that he left the U.S. because he disagreed with unspecified aspects of American policy.
veryGood! (92862)
Related
- 13 escaped monkeys still on the loose in South Carolina after 30 were recaptured
- Nick Cannon Shares Update on Ex Mariah Carey After Deaths of Her Mother and Sister
- Taco Bell gets National Taco Day moved so it always falls on a Taco Tuesday
- Prefer to deposit checks in person? Bank branches may soon be hard to come by, report says
- RHOBH's Erika Jayne Reveals Which Team She's on Amid Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley Feud
- A vandal badly damaged a statue outside a St. Louis cathedral, police say
- Singer JoJo Addresses Rumor of Cold Encounter With Christina Aguilera
- Eric Roberts Apologizes to Sister Julia Roberts Amid Estrangement
- Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says next year will be his last in office; mum on his plans afterward
- JD Souther, a singer-songwriter who penned hits for the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt, dies at 78
Ranking
- Beyoncé has released lots of new products. Here's a Beyhive gift guide for the holidays
- Father of Colorado supermarket gunman thought he could be possessed by an evil spirit
- Phoenix could finally break its streak of 100-degree days
- Caitlin Clark finishes regular season Thursday: How to watch Fever vs. Mystics
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Woman accused of driving an SUV into a crowd in Minneapolis and killing a teenager
- What to know about the pipeline fire burning for a third day in Houston’s suburbs
- Loungefly’s Hauntingly Cute Halloween Collection 2024: Disney, Sanrio, Coraline & More — All on Sale Now
Recommendation
-
As Northeast wildfires keep igniting, is there a drought-buster in sight?
-
Sean “Diddy” Combs Pleads Not Guilty in Sex Trafficking Case After Arrest
-
Phoenix could finally break its streak of 100-degree days
-
Father of Colorado supermarket gunman thought he could be possessed by an evil spirit
-
Bodyless head washes ashore on a South Florida beach
-
YouTuber Aspyn Ovard Reveals Whether She'd Get Married Again After Parker Ferris Split
-
Marvel's 'Agatha All Along' is coming: Release date, cast, how to watch
-
Phoenix could finally break its streak of 100-degree days