**U.S. Navy Sailor Who Sold Warship Secrets To China Learns His Fate**

A former U.S. Navy sailor, convicted of selling sensitive information to an intelligence officer working for China, was sentenced Monday to more than 16 years in prison.

Jinchao Wei, a 25-year-old engineer who worked on the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, was handed down a 200-month sentence by a federal judge in San Diego. The harsh punishment comes after a federal jury convicted Wei of six crimes, including espionage, in August of this year.

According to prosecutors, Wei was paid more than $12,000 for the sensitive information he sold to an intelligence officer who had posed as a naval enthusiast working for the state-owned China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The officer, who had been recruiting sailors via social media, convinced Wei to share classified documents and technical manuals for ships and operating systems.

Wei's recruitment was part of a broader scheme in which two California-based sailors were charged with providing sensitive military information to China. Wenheng Zhao, the other sailor involved in the case, pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and receiving a bribe in violation of his official duties. He was sentenced to more than two years in prison.

The U.S. Department of Justice has been cracking down on Chinese espionage efforts for years, bringing cases against Beijing intelligence operatives who have stolen sensitive government and commercial information through hacking and other means.

Weighing the severity of his crimes, prosecutors pointed out that Wei had disregarded a friend's advice to delete the contact after suspecting something was amiss. Instead, he moved conversations with the officer to an encrypted messaging app, thinking it would be safer.

Over 18 months, Wei sent the intelligence officer hundreds of sensitive documents and technical manuals, including those for weapons control, aircraft, and deck elevators. The manuals contained export control warnings and detailed the operations of multiple systems aboard the Essex and similar ships.

The USS Essex is a highly advanced warship equipped to transport and support a Marine Corps landing force of over 2,000 troops during an air and amphibious assault. Wei's actions, as described by prosecutors, posed a significant threat to national security.

Before the sentencing, Wei wrote a letter to the judge expressing remorse for his actions. He attributed his poor judgment to "introversion and loneliness," which had clouded his decision-making. In the letter, he acknowledged that he should not have shared any information with the intelligence officer, whom he initially considered a friend.

We will continue to follow this story as more details emerge. For now, it's clear that Wei's actions have severe consequences for national security and set a warning example for those who would seek to compromise sensitive military information.