A United States Navy Petty Officer from Naval Base Ventura County pled guilty to charges that he was selling sensitive U.S. military information to the Chinese government.
Federal prosecutors say Thomas Zhao collected, and transmitted information about military infrastructure, planned exercises, and some blueprints for a radar system to a Chinese intelligence officer.
They say he collected nearly $15,000 in bribes over a year and a half long period. Zhao was based at Naval Base Ventura County, and had a security clearance which gave him access to restricted information.
Appearing in federal court in Los Angeles, Zhao pled guilty to one conspiracy count, and one count of receiving a bribe. As part of the pleas, he admitted gathering the information, and using a sophisticated encryption system to transmit the information to a Chinese intelligence officer.
He could face up to 20 years in federal prison when he’s sentenced in January.
