San Diego sailor accused of promoting navy secrets and techniques to China pleads not responsible to new prices

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — A San Diego-based Navy sailor accused of promoting navy secrets and techniques to China was again in federal court docket on Thursday going through new prices.

Jinchao Wei is one in every of two California sailors who’ve been charged with sending China delicate navy data. Wei pleaded not responsible to all prices again in August and entered a not responsible plea on Thursday for a few new counts of export violations and one depend of naturalization fraud.

Wei was arrested final yr on suspicion of espionage as he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego, the place he was employed on the united statesS. Essex.

“When a soldier or sailor chooses money over nation and arms over nationwide protection data in an final act of betrayal, we’ve to be able to act,” Randy Grossman, former U.S. Legal professional, informed 10News in an interview final yr.

An indictment alleges Wei used encrypted channels to speak with a Chinese language Intelligence Officer — sharing particulars of weapons methods.

“Our indictment alleges that over the course of greater than a yr and on a number of events, Wei despatched nationwide protection data to China, together with paperwork, images, movies, and technical manuals. In alternate, his intelligence officer paid Wei 1000’s of {dollars}. The officer even congratulated him when he grew to become a U.S. citizen in Could of 2022,” mentioned Grossman.

Wei returns to court docket on Monday, Mar. 18, for a standing listening to.