US Navy Petty Officer Fed Secrets to China Using Sophisticated Encryption Method

Wenheng Zhao, one of two US Navy servicemen charged with spying for China in 2023, admitted taking about $15,000 in bribes and transmitting sensitive US military intel to his Chinese handler including electrical blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system in Okinawa, Japan.

Zhao - a former petty officer also known as Thomas Zhao , 26, of Monterey Park, California - pleaded guilty to conspiring with China’s intelligence officer and receiving at least 14 bribes, the FBI and US Justice Department said. Zhao entered restricted military and naval installations to collect and record information. He then transmitted it using sophisticated encrypted communication methods, destroying evidence, and concealing his relationship with his handler. 

Zhao worked at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme and supplied intel to China between August 2021 and at least May 2023, including information on Navy operational security, military training and exercises, and critical infrastructure. Zhao faces a maximum of 20 years in prison when he's sentenced in early 2024.