US Navy sailor swaps sea for cell after accepting bribes from Chinese snoops

A US Naval sailor will face more than two years behind bars after pleading guilty to taking bribes from Chinese spies in exchange for sensitive military information. Wenheng Zhao, 26, also known as Thomas Zhao, was sentenced on January 8 to 27 months in prison and ordered to pay a $5,500 fine for one count of conspiring with …

[Anonymous Coward]

"sophisticated encrypted communication methods"

What exactly were these "sophisticated encrypted communication methods" and how exactly was he caught?

[fxkeh]

Re: "sophisticated encrypted communication methods"

Whatsapp, probably.

[gandalfcn]

Re: "sophisticated encrypted communication methods"

IQ45's Truth Social? After all, IQ45 got away with selling military and other secrets

[Pete Sdev]

Re: "sophisticated encrypted communication methods"

ROT13

[bombastic bob]

there is no yardarm HIGH enough

there is no yardarm HIGH enough to HANG this traitor from!!!

And he EARNED more than the fine in BRIBES. They should have fined him DOUBLE that amount.

[Paul Smith]

Black adder goes forth...

Captain Darling:

So you see, Blackadder, Field Marshall Haig is most anxious to eliminate all these German spies.

General Melchett:

Filthy hun weasels, fighting their dirty underhand war!

Captain Darling:

And fortunately, one of our spies...

General Melchett:

Splendid fellows, brave heroes risking life and limb for Blighty!

[DS999]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

Funny how upset conservatives get when top secret information is leaked by someone who isn't named Trump.

[gandalfcn]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

They all seem to have double standards, aka no morals or brains.

[gandalfcn]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

The MAGA/GOPers are here downvoting. The USA is doomed.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

It's really his own fault. Remember when arrested for spying don't say anything to the police except 'I'm running for President'

Also demand your constitutional rights to be tried by a judge you appointed because they were a political supporter

[gandalfcn]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

What about Trump? He sold rather a lot of state secrets?

[Pete Sdev]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

Civilised countries don't have a death penalty, only places like China...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

Agreed on the fine vs bribes line - the "fine" is closer to what he'd pay in taxes on the bribe. Should be 10x the bribe, plus a more serious prison sentence.

But execution? Let's be more civilized than China.

[Alan Brown]

Re: there is no yardarm HIGH enough

Military crimes like this (all espionage activity too) are normally served in Fort Leavenworth

That's not exactly Club Fed

[RobThBay]

Only $14K?

14 bribes at roughly $1000 per bribe? This guy is definitely lacking in the brains department.

Maybe the gov't felt sorry for him and gave him an easy sentence.

[Youngone]

Re: Only $14K?

That's pretty much what I thought.

It may be an indication of the quality of management in the US Navy.

[Evil_Medic]

Re: Only $14K?

I've wondered about the low sums as well, and a few other possibilities come to mind (not mutually exclusive).

1: His handlers didn't want him to attract attention though big-ticket purchases or suspicious banking activity. This is frequently what puts otherwise competent crooks on the RADAR.

2. His handlers could have provided motivation through veiled threats regarding any relations still in China.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

Re: Only $14K?

The sentencing is tiny too. I'm guessing he gave up enough information after his arrest that prison is more protection than punishment.

[Woodnag]

"The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly shown it will freely break any law or norm to achieve a perceived intelligence advantage".

Let's rephrase that:

"Every country has repeatedly shown it will freely break any law or norm to achieve a perceived intelligence advantage"

[Anonymous Coward]

Wumao in gross dammage control mode

Wumao: "All countries are the same... Communist China is not worse than the rest."

[IGotOut]

I wonder who is down voting?

If you have a spy agency and there are NOT breaking laws, I'd ask for a refund on your taxes.

[Anonymous Coward]

> "If you have a spy agency and there are NOT breaking laws, I'd ask for a refund on your taxes."

Interestingly enough, the Wehrmacht and the SS were also funded by 3rd Reich taxes. And very "efficient" at exterminating people. Do they therefore deserve upvotes, according to you?

[IGotOut]

Been a while since I saw a Goodwin on here.

Well done.

[Anonymous Coward]

Correct!

Wumaos are much more common.

[gandalfcn]

Re: Correct!

You mean MAGA/GOPers??

[gandalfcn]

" Do they therefore deserve upvotes, according to you?" What an idiotic statement. Seems you either don't understand basic English or have some other problem.

[gandalfcn]

""I wonder who is down voting?" MAGA/GOPers?

[gandalfcn]

So far 3 downvoters have proved they don't have a clue how governments operate. Probably MAGAt/GOPers.

[Alan Brown]

The USA has more "form" in military and commercial espionage than any other country on earth. Virtually its entire industrial base was built on stolen IP in explicitly government-encouraged policies that only formally went away in the 1930s (and arguably are still being operated today. Most of the USA's current lip service to IP laws is due to the entertainment industry discovering how profitable its exports had become, but Disney was still pirating Japanese ideas (eg: The White Lion => Lion King) as late as the 1980s)

[Ian Johnston]

Frankie Boyle on Mock the Week, "Unlikely Lines from a Thriller": Michael, Peter, David, Vladimir - I think we may have a spy in the organisation.

[JT_3K]

It seems they didn't...

[PAUSES FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT & DROPS SUNGLASSES]

...know their Hueneme.

[harryg123]

Pot calling the kettle black

"The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly shown it will freely break any law or norm to achieve a perceived intelligence advantage," As does the NSA, CIA, and FBI in the USA, or the British MI6 or whatever it's called these days?

Any government, anywhere, at any time, will break any law, treaty, covenant, promise, or moral stricture in the name of "national security."