A US Navy SEAL who admitted to accepting bribes from Chinese intelligence officials in exchange for sensitive US military information has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.
US District Judge R. Gary Klausner on Monday sentenced Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, of Monterey Park, Calif., to 27 months in prison.
The Justice Department had sought a 37-month prison sentence, arguing that Zhao had obstructed the government’s investigation.
In October, Zhao pleaded guilty to one count of colluding with Chinese intelligence officials and one count of accepting bribes, both felonies.
The sailor admitted to accepting nearly $15,000 in bribes from intelligence officials between August 2021 and May 2023, when he worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, Calif.
Wenheng Zhao was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison on Monday. PO 2nd Class Michael Lopez/US Navy Photo Zhao admitted to accepting nearly $15,000 in bribes from Chinese intelligence officials in exchange for military secrets. AP
Zhao, who held a security clearance, secretly collected and sent information to China related to the security of Navy operations, military exercises and critical infrastructure, according to the Justice Department.
He specifically claimed to have delivered plans for large-scale maritime training exercises in the Pacific theater, operational orders, and electrical diagrams and blueprints for Japanese radar systems.
“Officer Zhao betrayed his country and the men and women of the US Navy by accepting bribes from a foreign enemy,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said at the time of Zhao’s guilty plea. “While he and the PRC officials he served worked hard to hide their corrupt plans, investigators were vigilant in uncovering this shameful scheme.”
Zhao, a naturalized US citizen born in China, was arrested last July and is being held without bail.
The crimes occurred between August 2021 and May 2023, when Zhao was working at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, Calif. AP
“He is ready to take responsibility for what he has done,” Tarek Shawky, the sailor’s attorney, said at the sentencing hearing in Los Angeles, according to the Court News Service. “He trusted someone he shouldn’t have and made some bad decisions.”
Shawky has asked the judge to sentence his client to 12 months.
Federal prosecutors announced Zhao’s arrest at the same time a second Navy sailor, 22-year-old Jinchao Wei, was detained on separate charges of conspiring to pass sensitive security information to Chinese officials.
Wei, who served aboard the San Diego-based USS Essex, was busted on espionage charges after he allegedly gave China detailed information about the ship and its crew.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
