U.S. Navy Sailor Sentenced for Espionage

Wenheng Zhao Receives Over Two Years in Prison for Transmitting Sensitive Military Information to China

Wenheng Zhao, a U.S. Navy sailor, has been sentenced to over two years in prison for transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to a Chinese intelligence officer.
Zhao collected nearly $15,000 in bribes in 14 different payments from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for information, photos and videos of Navy exercises, operations and facilities.
The information included plans for a large-scale U.S. military exercise in the Indo-Pacific region, detailing the location and timing of naval force movements.
Zhao used encrypted communications to transmit the information to the intelligence officer and destroyed the evidence to hide their relationship.
Zhao was one of two U.S. Navy sailors based in California who were charged last summer with providing sensitive military information to China.