U. S. Navy service member accused of illegally transmitting national security information to Chinese intelligence officer
PORT HUENEME, Calif. – Federal prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment on Thursday accusing a United States Navy service member formerly stationed at Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme of accepting bribes in exchange for transmitting sensitive national security information to an intelligence officer from the People's Republic of China.
The servicemember, Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, was arrested Wednesday by special agents with the FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).
The indictment alleges that Zhao, while stationed at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, received bribes, between August of 2021 to at least May of 2023, from a People's Republic of China (PRC) intelligence officer posing as a maritime researcher seeking information for an investment decision.
According to the indictment, Zhao transmitted operational plans for a large-scale U. S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific Region including detailed locations and planned movements of Naval forces, amphibious landings as well as maritime operations and logistical support.
Zhao also allegedly photographed electrical diagrams and blueprints for a radar system at the U. S. military base in Okinawa, Japan detailed the indictment.
The indictment also detailed that under the direction of the PRC intelligence officer, Zhao was instructed to conceal their relationship and to destroy evidence of the scheme.
In exchange for the information, Zhao received approximately $14,866 relayed the indictment.
“By sending this sensitive military information to an intelligence officer employed by a hostile foreign state, the defendant betrayed his sacred oath to protect our country and uphold the Constitution,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Unlike the vast majority of U.S. Navy personnel who serve the nation with honor, distinction and courage, Mr. Zhao chose to corruptly sell out his colleagues and his country.”
If convicted of the two counts from the indictment, Zhao could face a statutory maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison.
“By accepting cash bribes from a hostile nation whose leaders are intent on stealing American secrets, Zhao betrayed his military oath and sold out his country while he brazenly put Americans and our servicemen at risk," said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Zhao’s alleged actions are a reminder that American citizens with access to state secrets or intellectual property are being targeted by the Chinese government. The FBI will continue to seek out such behavior with our partners and hold offenders accountable.”
