Wenheng Zhao, who is also known as Thomas Zhao, of California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and receiving a bribe in violation of his official duties. A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced him to 27 months in prison on Monday and he was also fined $5,500.
The 26-year-old sailor was based at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, which is west of Los Angeles. He held a U.S. security government clearance and underwent routine training on efforts by “hostile nation states” to acquire sensitive information, according to the
U.S. Justice Department.
Prosecutors said Zhao collected nearly $15,000 in 14 separate bribe payments from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities between August 2021 through at least May 2023.
The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Pacific, with details on the location and timing of naval force movements, and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a task-oriented radar system located in Okinawa, Japan.
The Chinese officer offered to pay Zhao bonuses for controlled and classified information, according to prosecutors.
scrippsnews.com
