Patrick Wei, a 25-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen also known as Patrick Wei, was convicted on charges including conspiracy to commit espionage and unlawful export of technical data related to defense articles. Wei held a U.S. security clearance and accessed sensitive national defense information about a ship's weapons, propulsion, and desalination systems. From March 2022 until his arrest in August 2023 he sent photos and videos of the USS Essex, advised an intelligence officer on Navy ship locations, and described the Essex's defensive weapons. The recruiting officer posed as a China-linked naval industry employee; Wei used encrypted apps and devices provided by the handler and called the handler "Big Brother Andy."
He had at the request of the intelligence officer sent photos and videos of the Essex, "advised the officer of the location of various Navy ships, and described the defensive weapons of the Essex" from March 2022 until he was arrested after arriving for work in August 2023, prosecutors alleged.
"Wei called his handler 'Big Brother Andy' and obliged requests to keep their relationship secret," per the DOJ.
The China-born naturalized U.S. citizen told a Navy friend he thought he was "on the radar of a China intelligence organization" after the officer offered to pay him $500 and said he was "no idiot" and that "this is quite obviously f**king espionage," according to the DOJ.
"The defendant's actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military," U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said in a statement.
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