USAO - California, Southern News Update

Offices of the United States Attorneys

You are subscribed to USAO - California, Southern news updates. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. U.S. Navy Sailor Sentenced to More Than 16 Years for Spying for China 01/12/2026 07:00 AM EST SAN DIEGO – Jinchao Wei, a former U.S. Navy sailor who was convicted of espionage by a federal jury in August 2025, was sentenced in federal court today to 200 months in prison. Wei, 25, also known as Patrick Wei, was arrested in August 2023 on espionage charges as he arrived for work on the amphibious assault ship U.S.S. Essex at Naval Base San Diego, the homeport of the Pacific Fleet. He was indicted by a federal grand jury, accused of selling national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the People's Republic of China for $12,000.

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