An American sailor was sentenced to 27 months in prison on Monday for receiving a bribe of approximately $15,000 from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for obtaining photographs of U.S. military documents classified as unclassified. Sergeant Ning "Thomas" Zhao, 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and accepting a bribe. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the sentence included a fine of $5,500.
Zhao, who was stationed at the Naval Base in Ventura County, California, admitted to sending China U.S. military training plans in the Indo-Pacific region, operational orders, and radar charts from a U.S. military base in Okinawa, Japan. Larissa Knapp, the Executive Assistant Director of the FBI's National Security Division, stated, "Zhao chose to betray the duty he owed to our country and put others at risk."
She added in a statement, "Today's sentencing once again demonstrates the inability of Chinese intelligence to prevent the FBI and our core partners from detecting and prosecuting the spies recruited by China." The United States has accused China of launching a widespread campaign of espionage and cyberattacks against it, a charge that Beijing denies.
