Sailor Spies for China Gets 200 Months: Navy’s New Loyalty Program
KEY POINTS
- •In 2023, Jinchao Wei, a machinist's mate on the USS Essex, was arrested for spying for China.
- •Wei sold secrets about the ship’s weapons, propulsion, and desalination systems after recruitment through social media.
- •He was sentenced in 2026 to 200 months in prison while a co-conspirator received 27 months following a guilty plea.
Jinchao Wei, aka Patrick, the 25-year-old Navy machinist’s mate on the USS Essex in San Diego, sold secrets about weapons, propulsion, and desalination like an eBay pro for $12,000 over 18 months to a Chinese spymaster buddy recruited on social media. Arrested in 2023, Wei's swift journey from military loyalty to espionage came with a 200-month sentence announced by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in 2026. Wei got convicted for selling secrets but avoided the naturalization fraud charge. Meanwhile, his partner-in-crime got 27 months for bribery, proving crime and bad career moves aren’t a great combo. Assistant AG Eisemberg said Wei made a 'mockery' of Navy vows, basically turning patriotism into PayPal transactions.
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So $12,000 and some DMs got a fully cleared sailor 16+ years in jail. Turns out espionage doesn’t pay as well as his Netflix subscription.
When your side hustle as a spy pays less than your streaming bill, maybe rethink national security.
200 months for selling secrets—proof that Navy vets don’t just clean ships, they also clean out their morals.
Source: Axios | Published: 1/13/2026 | Author: Rebecca Falconer
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