A federal jury convicted a U.S. Navy sailor of espionage and export violations on Wednesday due to his sale of military secrets to China.
Jinchao Wei, also known as Patrick Wei, was convicted of six of the seven crimes he stood trial for, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. Those crimes included espionage and conspiracy to commit espionage — both punishable by life in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The court also convicted Wei, 25, of conspiring to violate the Arms Export Control Act and three counts of violating the law. He was acquitted of naturalization fraud.
“The defendant, who took an oath to protect our Nation and was entrusted with a security clearance as a petty officer in the United States Navy, sold out his country for $12,000,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said in a Department of Justice news release.
“He violated his oath, betrayed his uniform and fellow sailors, and turned his back on his adopted nation for money,” Eisenberg said.
US Navy sailor Jinchao “Patrick” Wei has been convicted of espionage for selling classified ship secrets to a Chinese agent. https://t.co/XEiwzBpek8
— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) August 21, 2025
After joining the Navy in 2021, Wei was stationed on the USS Essex, an amphibious assault ship on which he worked as a machinist’s mate 3rd class.
In February 2022, a Chinese intelligence officer posing as a naval enthusiast approached Wei on social media.
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Over the next 18 months, the officer wanted details about the Essex and information about other ships at Naval Base San Diego, where Wei was stationed.
“He then committed espionage by sending photographs and videos of U.S. Navy vessels, ship movement information, technical manuals, and weapons capabilities to a Chinese intelligence officer,” Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division remarked.
The intelligence officer ultimately paid Wei a total of $12,000 for the information he sent.
Wei recognized early on that the “naval enthusiast” wasn’t who he pretended to be.
“Wei told his friend that he is ‘no idiot’ and that ‘this is quite obviously f***ing espionage,’” USNI reported.
He was arrested in August 2023.
Wei knew what he did was wrong, but “never intended to harm the United States,” his defense attorney said, according to NBC News.
“I do not believe that Jinchao truly believed his actions were benefiting the People’s Republic of China, but rather were for the apparent personal or professional benefit of the recipient whose affiliation with the Chinese government remained unclear, despite an extremely thorough and lengthy investigation by the FBI and NCIS,” attorney Sean Jones said in a Thursday statement.
Wei will reportedly face sentencing on Dec. 1.
If convicted, each count of violating the Arms Export Control Act is punishable by a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine, according to USNI.
“The defendant’s actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California said.
“By trading military secrets to the People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies,” Gordon added.
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