US Navy Sailor Admits Taking Bribe From China in Exchange for Sensitive Information

Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao admitted to receiving at least $14,866 from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for sensitive U.S. military information.

The U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on June 20, 2023. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

A U.S. Navy sailor pleaded guilty on Oct. 10 to receiving bribes from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for sensitive U.S. military information, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, who also goes by Thomas Zhao, admitted that he engaged in “a corrupt scheme to collect and transmit sensitive U.S. military information to the intelligence officer in violation of his official duties,” according to an Oct. 10 statement by the DOJ.