SAN DIEGO, CA — A U.S. Navy sailor has been convicted of espionage after passing sensitive military secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for just $12,000, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. The sailor, Jinchao Wei — also known as Patrick Wei — now faces decades behind bars for what officials described as one of the most serious breaches of military trust in recent memory.

Wei, an active-duty petty officer stationed aboard the USS Essex at Naval Base San Diego, was found guilty by a federal jury on Wednesday after a five-day trial and one day of deliberation. He was convicted on six counts, including conspiracy to commit espionage, actual espionage, and multiple export violations involving U.S. military technology and defense data.

According to evidence presented in

See Full Page