- Oct 17, 2011
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Naval Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, 26, also known as Thomas, pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to one count of conspiring with a foreign intelligence officer and one count of receiving a bribe.
Zhao, a Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen, could spend up to 20 years in prison, five years for the conspiracy count and 15 years for bribery. Zhao is scheduled to be sentenced at a hearing on Jan. 8. He’s been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 3.
Some of the specific information included large-scale maritime training exercise plans in the Pacific, operational orders and electrical diagrams. Blueprints from a radar system on Okinawa Island were also included.
Zhao then transmitted the information, using a “sophisticated encrypted communication method,” officials said, afterward destroying evidence and keeping his relationship with the official a secret.
Zhao’s arrest was announced on Aug. 3 along with that of Jinchao Wei, 22, another active-duty sailor serving at a Southern California base. [he's pleaded not guilty to espionage]
Zhao, a Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen, could spend up to 20 years in prison, five years for the conspiracy count and 15 years for bribery. Zhao is scheduled to be sentenced at a hearing on Jan. 8. He’s been in custody since his arrest on Aug. 3.
Some of the specific information included large-scale maritime training exercise plans in the Pacific, operational orders and electrical diagrams. Blueprints from a radar system on Okinawa Island were also included.
Zhao then transmitted the information, using a “sophisticated encrypted communication method,” officials said, afterward destroying evidence and keeping his relationship with the official a secret.
Zhao’s arrest was announced on Aug. 3 along with that of Jinchao Wei, 22, another active-duty sailor serving at a Southern California base. [he's pleaded not guilty to espionage]
