A U.S. Navy sailor was convicted Wednesday of espionage and five other charges related to selling military secrets while on active-duty to a Chinese intelligence officer who recruited him via social media, the Department of Justice announced.

The big picture: The jury accepted prosecutors' allegations that Jinchao Wei, 25, was paid $12,000 over 18 months for selling "Navy secrets" while working as a machinist's mate on the amphibious assault ship, the USS Essex, at Naval Base San Diego, California, in 2023, per a DOJ statement. • The 25-year-old who's also known as Patrick Wei was convicted of other charges including conspiracy to commit espionage and unlawful export of and conspiracy to export technical data related to defense articles.

State of play: Wei held a U.S. security clearanc

See Full Page