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The
U.S. Justice Department yesterday released the information below:

SAN
DIEGO – Jinchao Wei, a former U.S. Navy sailor who was convicted of espionage
by a federal jury in August 2025, was sentenced in federal court today to 200
months in prison.

Wei, 25, also known as Patrick Wei, was arrested in August 2023
on espionage charges as he arrived for work on the amphibious assault ship
U.S.S. Essex at Naval Base San Diego, the homeport of the Pacific Fleet. He was
indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of selling national defense
information to an intelligence officer working for the People’s Republic of
China for $12,000.

Following a five-day trial and one day of deliberation, the jury
convicted Wei of six crimes, including conspiracy to commit espionage,
espionage, and unlawful export of, and conspiracy to export, technical data
related to defense articles in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the
International Traffic in Arms Regulations. He was found not guilty of one count
of naturalization fraud.

“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.”

“Wei swore loyalty to the United States when he joined the Navy
and reaffirmed that oath when he became a citizen,” said Assistant Attorney
General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “He then accepted the solemn
responsibility of protecting this Nation’s secrets when the United States
entrusted him with sensitive Navy information.  He made a mockery of these
commitments when he chose to endanger our Nation and our servicemembers by
selling U.S. military secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer for personal
profit. Today’s sentence reflects our commitment to ensuring those who sell our
Nation’s secrets pay a very high price for their betrayal.”

“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.

“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.”

“Today’s sentence marks the conclusion of a first-of-its-kind
espionage investigation in the district and reflects the seriousness of Wei’s
egregious actions against his own country,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark
Dargis, of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “The FBI will aggressively defend
our homeland from anyone threatening our national security, including those on
the inside betraying their sworn duty to the United States. We remain steadfast
in protecting the American people and will continue to work with all our law
enforcement partners to successfully carry out this mission.”