Chinese-born U.S. sailor convicted of espionage in San Diego sentenced to more than 16 years

A San Diego federal judge on Monday sentenced a Chinese-born U.S. Navy sailor to 16 years and eight months in federal prison for selling military documents to a Chinese spy, telling the sailor that it was a “sad case” but that he was suffering the consequences of his own “foolish behavior.”

A jury convicted Jinchao “Patrick” Wei in August on six counts of conspiracy, espionage and charges related to unlawfully sending defense information to a foreign government. The jury acquitted Wei, a naturalized U.S. citizen, of a single count of naturalization fraud, though both the judge and a prosecutor said Monday that Wei will likely face civil denaturalization proceedings.

Trial evidence showed a Chinese intelligence officer recruited Wei on social media and paid him at least $12,000 in exchange for dozens of technical manuals that contained information about weapons, defense and propulsion systems for the USS Essex, the San Diego-based ship to which he was assigned, and other similar Navy ships.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego said Wei’s prosecution was the first time San Diego-area prosecutors had char...