2 US Navy sailors arrested on charges tied to national security and China

A U. S. Navy sailor assigned to a ship in San Diego is in federal custody Thursday. Jinchao Wei, aka Patrick Wei, was arrested Wednesday on espionage charges when he arrived for work at Naval Base San Diego. He was indicted for conspiracy to send national defense information to an intelligence officer working for the Peoples Republic of China. The indictment, which was unsealed Thursday morning, alleges that Wei, was an activeduty sailor on the amphibious assault ship the Essex stationed at Naval Base San Diego. In his role as a machinists mate, Wei held a U. S. security clearance and had access to sensitive national defense information about the ships weapons, propulsion and desalination systems. According to the indictment, in February 2022, Wei began communicating with an intelligence officer from the PRC who requested that Wei provide information about the Essex and other Navy ships. Specifically, the Chinese intelligence officer tasked Wei with passing him pho