U.S. sailor stationed at Naval Base Ventura County pled guilty Tuesday to felony conspiring with a foreign intelligence officer and bribery
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao pled guilty on Tuesday to federal felony charges and admitted to transmitting sensitive U.S. military data to a People's Republic of China intelligence officer in exchange for bribery payments.
Zhao pled guilty to one count of conspiring with the intelligence officer and to one count of receiving a bribe while stationed at Naval Base Ventura County as an active duty service member of the United States Navy relay the U.S. Attorney's Office.
He is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on Jan. 8, 2024, and faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison - five years for the conspiracy count and 15 years for the bribery charge detail the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
“The intelligence services of the People’s Republic of China actively target clearance holders across the military, seeking to entice them with money to provide sensitive government information,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen. “When contacted by his coconspirator, rather than reporting it to the Navy, the Defendant chose greed over protecting the national security of the United States. He is now being held accountable for his crimes. To others tempted to put personal profit ahead of patriotic duty, know that we are committed to identifying you and bringing you to justice.”
Between August 2021 and at least May of 2023, Zhao admitted to receiving $14,866 in at least 14 separate bribe payments from the intelligence officer detail the U.S. Attorney's Office.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, in exchange for the bribes, Petty Officer Zhao surreptitiously collected and then transmitted sensitive, non-public information regarding U.S. Navy operational security, military training and exercises, as well as critical infrastructure.
Specifically, Zhao specifically admitted to transmitting plans for a large-scale maritime training exercise in the Pacific theatre, operational orders, and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system in Okinawa, Japan detail the U.S. Attorney's Office.
“Mr. Zhao’s admission makes it clear that he abandoned the oath he swore to uphold by providing sensitive information to a U.S. adversary in exchange for cash,” said Donald Alway, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. "Zhao put his fellow servicemen at risk when he yielded to overtures from the Chinese government, a nation actively targeting Americans who have access to state secrets. I’m proud of the strong partnerships and hard work that resulted in today’s successful outcome.”
Zhao further admitted to using sophisticated encrypted communication methods to transmit the information, destroying evidence, and concealing his relationship with the intelligence officer relay the U.S. Attorney's Office.
“Officer Zhao betrayed his country and the men and women of the U.S. Navy by accepting bribes from a foreign adversary,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “While he and the PRC [People's Republic of China] officer he served took great pains to conceal their corrupt scheme, investigators were vigilant in uncovering this shameful plot. Today’s resolution, requiring Zhao to plead guilty to all charges against him, shows that we will act swiftly and decisively to protect our nation from those who seek to undermine our security.”
