Jinchao Patrick Wei, 25, was convicted by a San Diego federal jury on six counts including conspiracy, espionage and unlawfully sending defense information to a foreign government. The jury acquitted him of a single count of naturalization fraud. Wei was assigned to the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS Essex. Prosecutors said he acted from greed and selfishness, that a Chinese intelligence officer recruited him on social media and paid him at least $12,000 for technical manuals. Those manuals contained information about weapons, defense and propulsion systems for the Essex and similar U.S. Navy ships. The jury deliberated about seven hours after four days of argument and testimony. U.S. authorities said the conduct betrayed military trust and endangered sailors, national security and allied security. Wei grew up in China as the only child of a single mother and moved to Wisconsin in 2016.
During closing arguments Tuesday, a prosecutor from the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division told the jury that Wei, who was assigned to the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS Essex, had been motivated by greed and selfishness rather than political ideology. This is not a case about the defendant hating the United States or his allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Barry told the jurors. Jinchao Wei's allegiance was to Jinchao Wei. Jinchao Wei was loyal to Jinchao Wei.
The defendant's actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military, San Diego-area U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement. By trading military secrets to the People's Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies. The jury's verdict serves as a crucial reminder that the Department of Justice will vigorously prosecute traitors.
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