LOS ANGELES: A US Navy officer who found guilty to providing secret military information to a Chinese intelligence officer was awarded more than two years of imprisonment on Monday, the US Justice Department said.
Two persons Wenheng Zhao, 26, and another US sailor, Jinchao Wei, were arrested in August last year on suspicion of spying for China.
Wenheng Zhao pleaded guilty in a federal court in California in October on charges of conspiring with a foreign intelligence officer and taking a bribe.
He was awarded imprisonment of 27 months and a $5,500 fine on Monday.
According to US officials, Wenheng Zhao, who was deployed at a naval base north of Los Angeles, received about $15,000 from the Chinese intelligence officer from August 2021 to May 2023.
In return, he handed over sensitive information regarding US Navy operational security, critical infrastructure and exercises.
Zhao also provided information about a large-scale maritime training drill in the Pacific and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system in Okinawa, Japan.
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Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen in a statement said that Zhao betrayed his oath to defend his country and endangered those who work with the US military.
He added the Justice Department is committed to counter the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine America’s security and holding accountable those who violate the laws.
Wei, who worked on the assault ship the USS Essex, is accused of providing China dozens of documents, photos and videos regarding the operation of ships and their systems.
