A U.S. Navy Sailor has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for their role in transmitting sensitive U.S. military information to Chinese intelligence. The individual, Officer Thomas Zhao, provided information to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in exchange for bribery payments.
Executive Assistant Director Larissa L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch stated, "Make no mistake, the PRC is engaged in an aggressive effort to undermine the national security of the U.S. and its partners." She continued, "Zhao chose to betray the oath he took to our country and put others at risk by providing sensitive U.S. information to a PRC intelligence official. The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly shown it will freely break any law or norm to achieve a perceived intelligence advantage. Today’s sentencing demonstrates, yet again, the inability of China’s Intelligence Services to prevent the FBI and our vital partners from apprehending and prosecuting the spies China recruits."
According to a press release by the Department of Justice, Zhao was stationed at the naval base in Port Hueneme and also held U.S. security clearance. Between August 2021 and May 2023, Zhao transmitted classified information on multiple occasions, receiving at least $14,866 on 14 different instances. He has pleaded guilty for one count of conspiring with an intelligence officer and one count of receiving a bribe.
The same press release further detailed that Zhao transmitted plans for large-scale maritime training exercises in the Pacific theatre as well as plans and blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system located in Okinawa, Japan. He managed to transmit this data using sophisticated communication methods while simultaneously destroying evidence and concealing his relationship with the intelligence officer.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California commented on Zhao's actions: "Zhao betrayed his country and disgraced himself when he accepted bribes from an intelligence officer with the People’s Republic of China." Estrada added, "As a result, he has now been removed from the military and will serve time in federal prison. Today’s sentence shows that my office will swiftly act to root out and punish those who seek to undermine our nation’s security."
