A federal jury in San Diego on Wednesday convicted U.S. Navy sailor Jinchao “Patrick” Wei of espionage and related offenses for selling classified military information to a Chinese intelligence officer. Wei, 25, was found guilty on six counts, including conspiracy to commit espionage and multiple violations of the Arms Export Control Act; he was acquitted on one count of naturalization fraud. Prosecutors said Wei, a naturalized U.S. citizen serving as a machinist’s mate aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, used his security clearance to transmit photographs, videos, ship locations and more than 60 technical and operating manuals. The exchanges took place between March 2022 and his arrest in August 2023 at Naval Base San Diego. Investigators testified that a handler recruited Wei via social media and paid him more than $12,000 over an 18-month period. Wei faces a maximum sentence of life in prison at a hearing set for Dec. 1. “By trading military secrets to the People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies,” U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said after the verdict. The case was investigated by the FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which described the plot as part of a broader effort by Chinese intelligence to target U.S. military personnel with access to sensitive technology and operational data.