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A US Navy sailor, Wenheng Zhao, has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for transmitting confidential US military information to a Chinese intelligence officer.
Zhao, 26, also known as Thomas Zhao, from Monterey Park, was sentenced on Monday in Los Angeles. He admitted guilt to one count each of conspiracy and receiving a bribe, violating his official duties, and was fined $5,500.

Zhao was stationed at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, just north of Los Angeles. He received almost $15,000 in bribes through 14 payments from a Chinese intelligence officer. In exchange, Zhao provided information, photos, and videos of Navy exercises, operations, and facilities between August 2021 and May 2023. Despite holding a US security government clearance and being aware of hostile nation states’ attempts to acquire sensitive information, he shared plans for a major US military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, revealing the location and timing of naval force movements.
The information Zhao leaked was purportedly for the Chinese officer’s “maritime economic research” to guide investment decisions. Zhao used encrypted communication methods to send the information and destroyed evidence to conceal their relationship.
Donald Alway, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, stated, “Mr. Zhao abdicated his oath to the United States and put American troops in harm’s way when he accessed and handed over sensitive information to China for a payout.”
Zhao’s case is one of two involving US Navy sailors based in California charged last summer with providing military intelligence to China. The similar cases are separate, and it’s unclear if they were part of a broader scheme. The other sailor, Jinchao Wei, known as Patrick Wei, stationed on the USS Essex in San Diego, is accused of divulging details about the ship’s weapons systems and aircraft. Facing a potential life sentence, Wei has pleaded not guilty, and his case continues.