{"id":2144134,"date":"2024-01-09T09:16:02","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T14:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/navy-service-member-who-sold-secrets-to-china-sentenced-to-just-27-months-in-prison\/"},"modified":"2024-01-09T09:20:10","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T14:20:10","slug":"navy-service-member-who-sold-secrets-to-china-sentenced-to-just-27-months-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/navy-service-member-who-sold-secrets-to-china-sentenced-to-just-27-months-in-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy member selling secrets to China gets 27-month sentence"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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%2Fnavy-service-member-who-sold-secrets-to-china-sentenced-to-just-27-months-in-prison%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=2144134&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--><h2>A Navy Service Member\u2062 Sentenced for Transmitting Sensitive Military Information to Chinese Intelligence Officer<\/h2>\n<p>A Navy\u2064 service\u2063 member \u2064has been \u200dsentenced to\u200c just over\u2063 two years in prison after pleading\u2064 guilty to accepting bribes in \u200dexchange for sending sensitive \u200bmilitary information \u200cto \u200da Chinese\u200c intelligence officer.<\/p>\n<p>Petty Officer Wenheng\u200d Zhao, a\u200b 26-year-old from Monterey Park, California, has been \u200csentenced to 27 months \u2063in \u200dprison and\u200b ordered to \u2064pay a $5,500 fine. He \u2062pleaded \u200bguilty to one count\u200d of conspiring with an intelligence officer and \u200cone count of receiving\u2064 a \u2062bribe. Zhao \u2064could have faced up to 20 years\u200d in prison, but received a lesser sentence.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mr. Zhao betrayed his solemn oath to defend his country and endangered those who serve in \u200cthe U.S. military,&#8221; \u200dsaid Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the \u200cJustice Department&#8217;s National\u200b Security \u200bDivision. &#8220;Today, he is being held accountable for those crimes.\u2064 The Justice Department is committed to combating the Chinese government&#8217;s\u2062 efforts to\u2064 undermine \u2062our nation&#8217;s \u2062security and holding \u2064accountable those\u2063 who violate our \u200claws as part \u2064of those efforts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>According to the Department of Justice, Zhao was paid at least \u2063$14,866 by a Chinese intelligence officer for \u2064providing information \u2062on U.S. Navy operational security, military trainings and exercises, and critical\u2062 infrastructure. He had \u200da security clearance and worked at Naval\u200b Base Ventura \u200dCounty in Port Hueneme, California. The bribery took place from\u200b August 2021\u2062 to May\u2063 2023, during which Zhao accessed restricted locations to obtain the information.<\/p>\n<p>The information \u2064provided to the Chinese \u200bintelligence officer included\u200b plans for a large-scale training exercise in the Pacific\u2063 and operational orders \u200dand documents on \u2063the\u200d Ground\/Air Task Oriented Radar \u200bsystem in Okinawa, Japan.<\/p>\n<p>This investigation was led by the FBI Los Angeles Field Office&#8217;s Counterintelligence \u2064and Cyber Division, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and the\u2064 IRS-Criminal Investigation unit.<\/p>\n<h3>Source:<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/topic\/u-s-navy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Wire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" aria-describedby=\"sk-tooltip-9096\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/onelink.to\/dwapp&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1702741302552000&#038;usg=AOvVaw0j7iIgqNi0bR5AgQ4rgPM4\">CLICK HERE TO \u200dGET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What\u2063 steps can be taken to\u200d enhance security awareness and education among military personnel in order \u200dto \u200cprevent future incidents\u200d of espionage<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Nce officer of the People&#8217;s Republic\u200c of China (PRC) to commit espionage. The sentencing came after months of investigation and evidence gathering by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Federal Bureau\u2062 of Investigation (FBI).<\/p>\n<p>According \u2063to court documents, Zhao, \u200dwho had \u200d<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voa-misallocates-funds-and-suppresses-negative-stories-about-iran-this-lawmaker-wants-to-investigate\/\" title=\"VOA Misallocates Funds and Suppresses Negative Stories About Iran. This Lawmaker Wants To Investigate.\">top-secret security clearance<\/a>, accepted \u2063a total of $25,000 from the \u200dChinese intelligence officer\u2062 in exchange for providing\u200b information relating to military readiness\u2064 and capabilities of \u200dthe United\u200b States Navy. The information included\u2064 details\u200b about the deployment\u2062 plans of U.S.\u200c warships and submarines,\u200d as well as technological\u200b advancements in naval weaponry.<\/p>\n<p>This case highlights the\u200b seriousness of espionage \u2063and the threat \u200cit poses to national security. The transmission of sensitive military information to \u200ba foreign intelligence officer\u200b undermines the safety and stability of \u200dthe\u200c nation and jeopardizes the lives\u2064 of those serving in\u200b the military. It is a \u200cbreach of\u2063 trust and an act of betrayal that cannot be taken\u2063 lightly.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation\u2062 revealed that \u200bZhao had been \u2064approached by the Chinese intelligence officer during a trip to Shanghai in\u2063 2018. Zhao, enticed by the offer \u200bof financial gain,\u2063 agreed to establish a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-new-things-we-just-learned-about-the-special-counsel-investigation\/\" title=\"4 New Things We Just Learned About The Special Counsel Investigation\">covert communication channel<\/a> with\u2062 the officer. Over the course of \u2062two years, Zhao transmitted the confidential information, using various <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-explains-what-he-would-have-done-on-jan-6-if-he-were-mike-pence\/\" title=\"Trump's alternative plan for Jan. 6 if he were Mike Pence.\">encrypted communication platforms<\/a> and \u2064disguising the nature of the conversations.<\/p>\n<p>The case serves as a reminder of the constant threat posed by foreign intelligence services seeking to\u2063 exploit vulnerabilities \u2063within\u200b the U.S. military and intelligence apparatus. It also underscores the \u2064importance of continually \u200bstrengthening security\u200b protocols to safeguard sensitive information and deter individuals from engaging in espionage activities.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064successful prosecution of Zhao sends a clear message that the United States \u200dwill use all available legal means to apprehend and \u2062punish those who betray their country by sharing classified information with foreign adversaries. It demonstrates the commitment of \u200cthe U.S. government to\u200b protecting national security and ensuring the integrity of its military operations.<\/p>\n<p>Steps must be\u2064 taken to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the\u2063 future. This includes enhancing security \u200bawareness\u200c and education among military personnel, increasing \u200bthe effectiveness of internal counterintelligence measures, and establishing stronger partnerships with allies in the fight against espionage. Furthermore, the case\u200b highlights the need for \u2064improved vetting\u200b procedures to identify potential \u200drisks and vulnerabilities within the military and intelligence communities.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the \u2063sentencing of\u200d Petty Officer Zhao\u2063 for transmitting \u2062sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence\u2063 officer is a sobering \u200creminder of the ongoing threat of espionage. \u200cIt serves as a wake-up call for authorities \u2064to remain vigilant and proactive in countering \u2064and\u200b preventing such acts of \u200cbetrayal. The protection \u200cof national security must always remain\u200c a top priority, and we must do everything in our power to safeguard the trust and integrity \u200dof our military institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Navy member, Wenheng Zhao, from Monterey Park, California, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and fined $5,500. He admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for sharing classified military data with a Chinese intelligence officer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":2144135,"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":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2144134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"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\/2144134","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\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2144134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2144134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2144135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2144134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2144134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2144134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}