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Riley Ceder<\/strong><\/p>\n An active-duty U.S. Navy sailor was convicted of espionage by a federal jury on Wednesday, according to a Department of Justice press release.<\/p>\n Machinist\u2019s Mate 3rd Class Jinchao Wei, 25, who was stationed at Naval Base San Diego, sold Navy secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer for $12,000 over the course of 18 months.<\/p>\n \u201cThe defendant\u2019s actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military,\u201d Adam Gordon, the United States attorney for the Southern District of California, said in a statement on Wednesday. \u201cBy trading military secrets to the People\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Wei was convicted of six crimes, including conspiracy to commit espionage, espionage and unlawful export of, and conspiracy to export, technical data related to defense articles in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the release said.<\/p>\n He was arrested in August 2023 on espionage charges as he arrived for work at the amphibious assault ship Essex at Naval Base San Diego, California.<\/p>\n Wei began his criminal plot on Feb. 14, 2022, when he engaged in communication on social media with a Chinese intelligence officer who claimed to work for the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. Regardless of officer\u2019s feigned identity, evidence presented during court proceedings outlined Wei\u2019s understanding of the officer\u2019s ulterior motive, according to the release.<\/p>\n This was shortly after he was briefed through counterintelligence training that foreign adversaries might try to recruit him through social media, according to early Military Times reporting, which cited his indictment.<\/p>\n Wei, who possessed a U.S. security clearance and was privy to national defense information about the Essex\u2019s weapons systems and infrastructure, informed another U.S. Navy petty officer that he\u2019d been tasked with spying on behalf of the People\u2019s Republic of China.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n