U.S. military personnel was tried for espionage in favor of China
Photo: A Navy servicemember being tried in the US for espionage in favor of China (Getty Images)
A U.S. Navy servicemember has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for accepting a bribe of almost $15,000 from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for providing photos of U.S. military information, according to the press service of the U.S. Department of Justice.
It is reported that 26-year-old Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, who faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, has also been fined $5,500.
Zhao admitted that while working at the naval base in Ventura County, California, he sent plans for U.S. military training in the Indo-Pacific region, operational orders, as well as electrical schematics and drawings of the radar system at a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan, to his Chinese handler.
"Zhao chose to betray the oath he took to our country and put others at risk," said Larisa Knapp, Executive Assistant Director of the National Security Branch at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to her, today's verdict once again demonstrates the inability of Chinese intelligence services to hinder the FBI and its partners in apprehending and prosecuting spies recruited by China.
Earlier, it was reported that U.S. Navy sailors admitted to receiving almost $15,000 in bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for photographs of private U.S. military information. Zhao worked at the naval base in Ventura County, California.
