{"id":1990014,"date":"2023-08-03T16:50:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-navy-sailors-arrested-on-espionage-charges\/"},"modified":"2023-08-03T16:52:33","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T20:52:33","slug":"u-s-navy-sailors-arrested-on-espionage-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-navy-sailors-arrested-on-espionage-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Navy sailors detained for espionage."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-navy-sailors-arrested-on-espionage-charges%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1990014&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The amphibious assault ship USS Essex returns to sea February \u200b17, 2006 shortly\u2062 after arriving in Subic \u2063Bay, Philippines. \u2062(Photo by Michael D. \u200dKennedy\/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>OAN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/tag\/geraldyn-berry\">Geraldyn Berry<\/a><\/h2>\n<h3>1:38 PM PT \u2013 Thursday, August 3, 2023<\/h3>\n<p>The \u200dUnited States Department \u200bof Justice \u2062recently apprehended two Navy sailors on severe national security charges for their involvement in transmitting classified military information to a\u2064 Chinese official in exchange for cash payments.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-1\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px;  text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-1'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Petty Officer 2nd\u2064 Class\u200b Jinchao \u201cPatrick\u201d Wei, aged 22, \u2064was detained under suspicion\u2062 of espionage when he reported for duty at Naval Base San Diego. Wei served as\u2063 a machinist\u2019s mate aboard \u200cthe USS Essex, an amphibious ship<strong> <\/strong>that has a full flight \u2062deck, and can carry an array of helicopters, including\u200b the MV-22 Ospreys. The ship is currently undergoing\u200c maintenance. \u200d <\/p>\n<p>Additionally, 26-year-old Petty Officer Wenheng \u201cThomas\u201d \u2064Zhao, hailing \u2062from\u200b Monterey Park, California, was apprehended at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, a\u200d facility north of Los Angeles. Zhao, reportedly in possession of\u200b a U.S. security clearance with \u2062access to sensitive material, \u200bhad knowledge\u200d of crucial national defense information concerning naval ships\u2019 weapons,\u2063 propulsion, and desalination systems.<\/p>\n<p>According to the indictment\u200c unsealed on Thursday morning, Wei, who was born in \u200cChina, was\u200d approached by a Chinese officer during his U.S. citizenship application\u200b process, who even extended congratulations\u200b upon him becoming a U.S. \u2063citizen. <\/p>\n<p>Federal prosecutors contend that in\u200d February 2022,\u2062 Wei established contact\u2063 with a Chinese\u2064 government intelligence officer, and subsequently provided photographs,\u200c videos, technical manuals, and details\u2064 about the number and training of Marines during an upcoming exercise. The Chinese intelligence official rewarded Wei with a\u2062 payment of $5,000 in June 2022 after receiving the initial batch of sensitive information.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, the Justice Department accused Zhao of receiving bribes in exchange for \u200dsharing sensitive U.S. military photos and \u200bvideos with a Chinese intelligence officer. Zhao\u200c allegedly initiated his collaboration with the Chinese officer in \u200cAugust 2021, and \u2062continued until \u2063at least\u2062 May of the\u2063 following year. He stands accused of passing along photographs, videos,\u200d blueprints for a radar system in Okinawa, and operational plans for a\u2064 large-scale\u2063 U.S. military exercise in \u200dthe Pacific. According\u200c to the indictment, Zhao received a sum of $14,866 from the Chinese intelligence officer for providing this classified information.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, at a\u2063 press conference in San Diego, Assistant \u2063Attorney \u2062General for the Justice Department\u2019s National Security Division\u200d Matt Olsen attested that due to their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-navy-sailors-arrested-on-espionage-charges\/\" title=\"U.S. Navy sailors detained for espionage.\">actions\u00a0\u201csensitive military info ended<\/a> up\u200c in the\u2062 hands of the People\u2019s Republic of China.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These charges\u2064 fall under the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligence.gov\/evolution-of-espionage\/world-war-1\/america-declares-war\/espionage-act\" target=\"_blank\">Espionage Act<\/a>, a \u2062law passed in 1917 after the U.S. entered World War I. The act\u200d aims to prevent the sharing of information that could disrupt U.S. military interests or aid its enemies and carries a punishment of up to 20 \u2064years in prison and a $20,000 fine. <\/p>\n<p>Officials have noted the charge has only\u200b been used\u200d five\u2062 times in the last six years across the country.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cThese arrests are \u2063a reminder of the relentless, aggressive\u2064 efforts of the People\u2019s Republic \u2062of China to undermine\u200b our \u200ddemocracy and\u2063 threaten those who defend it,\u201d FBI Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director, Suzanne Turner, said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It remains unclear whether the two schemes\u200b were related, or whether the Navy sailors were approached or \u2063paid for \u2064their services by the same\u200b Chinese intelligence official.<\/p>\n<p>Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Just days\u200d after giving \u2064his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/amb-sondland-sues-pompeo-state-department-for-1-8m-in-legal-fees\/\" title=\"Amb. Sondland Sues Pompeo, State Department for .8M in Legal Fees\">closed-door testimony<\/a> the\u2064 House Oversight Committee releases Biden\u2019s ex-business partner\u2019s transcript.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Obama-appointed\u00a0Judge Tanya Chutkan has been assigned to 45th President Donald Trump\u2019s 2020 election challenge case. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with Estee Williams<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with Sonja \u200bShaw<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>(Reuters) \u2013\u200c Apple\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-agrees-to-a-heated-debate-with-newsom\/\" title=\"DeSantis accepts fiery debate challenge from Newsom.\">high-yield \u2063savings account offered<\/a> by its partner Goldman Sachs has \u2062reached over \u2064$10 billion in customer deposits, the technology\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>(Reuters) \u2013 Cognizant \u2062Technology Solutions forecast\u2063 third-quarter revenue above estimates on Wednesday as more\u2063 businesses turn\u2062 to the IT services provider to\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>(Reuters) \u2013 Equinix forecast third-quarter\u2063 revenue\u2063 below market estimates on \u200dWednesday, a sign that demand for data centers \u2064was slowing as businesses\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>By Nette Noestlinger, Matthias Baehr and Elizabeth Howcroft LONDON (Reuters) \u2013\u200b Worldcoin \u2062will expand its\u2064 operations to sign up more users globally\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship, sets sail on February 17, 2006, after arriving in Subic Bay, Philippines. (Photo: Michael D. Kennedy\/U.S. Navy via Getty Images) Two Navy sailors have been arrested by the US Department of Justice on serious national security charges. (Source: OAN&#8217;s Geraldyn Berry, 1:38 PM PT, Thursday, August 3, 2023)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1755,"featured_media":1990015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1990014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1755"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1990014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1990014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1990015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1990014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1990014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1990014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}