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'Slap on the Wrist': Critics Stunned by the Sentence This Sailor Who Spied for China Just Received

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  January 10, 2024 8:00 AM

A 26-year-old Naval service officer was sentenced Monday for accepting bribery payments from a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for classified U.S. military information in a scheme that lasted nearly two years. 

Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, who accepted more than $14,000 in payments from the intelligence officer, sent information through encrypted communication channels about “U.S. Navy operational security, military trainings and exercises, and critical infrastructure,” the Department of Justice said, adding that he entered restricted installations to obtain and record the information. 

“Zhao transmitted plans for a large-scale maritime training exercise in the Pacific theatre, operational orders and electrical diagrams and blueprints for a Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar system located in Okinawa, Japan,” the statement added. 

He also tried to cover up his crime by concealing his relationship with the officer and destroying evidence. 

“Mr. Zhao betrayed his solemn oath to defend his country and endangered those who serve in the U.S. military,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today, he is being held to account for those crimes. The Justice Department is committed to combatting the Chinese government’s efforts to undermine our nation’s security and holding accountable those who violate our laws as part of those efforts.” 

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But critics took issue with his sentence - just 27 months in prison and a fine of $5,500 - what they say is a slap on the wrist. Others compared it to how Jan. 6 defendants have been treated. 

Jacob Chansley, the "QAnon Shaman," for example, was convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding and received a 41-month prison sentence, though he was released early. And plenty of other J6 defendants received excessive sentences for their involvement in the events on Jan. 6.