"US sailor receives over 2 years in prison for selling info to China"

Wenheng Zhao, who is also known as Thomas Zhao, of California, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and receiving a bribe in violation of his official duties. A federal judge in Los Angeles sentenced him to 27 months in prison on Monday and he was also fined $5,500.

The 26-year-old sailor was based at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, which is west of Los Angeles. He held a U.S. security government clearance and underwent routine training on efforts by “hostile nation states” to acquire sensitive information, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Prosecutors said Zhao collected nearly $15,000 in 14 separate bribe payments from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos involving Navy exercises, operations and facilities between August 2021 through at least May 2023.

The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Pacific, with details on the location and timing of naval force movements, and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a task-oriented radar system located in Okinawa, Japan.

The Chinese officer offered to pay Zhao bonuses for controlled and classified information, according to prosecutors.

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US sailor receives over 2 years in prison for selling info to China

A U.S. Navy sailor has been sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to a Chinese government intelligence officer.

scrippsnews.com

MrDawn said:

I agree. It makes me wonder how deep some of our politicians are in with China and Russia.

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Clinton Approves Technology Transfer to China (Published 1999)

Clinton Administration notifies Congress of approval to export technology to China to permit launching of communications satellite aboard Chinese rocket; says transfer will not harm national security or significantly improve China's military capability in space (S)

www.nytimes.com