A United States Navy sailor has been charged with conspiring alongside a foreign intelligence officer and accepting a bribe in exchange for providing sensitive military information to the Chinese, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Wenheng Zhao, a petty officer, received just under $15,000 over 14 separate bribes from a Chinese intelligence agent between August 2021 and May 2023. In exchange for the money, Zhao supplied China with information, photos, and videos of a large American military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, detailing the time and location of the maneuvers.
Zhao, 26, pleaded guilty to the charges in California on Tuesday afternoon. He faces up to 20 years imprisonment if found guilty – five years for conspiracy and 15 years for bribery.