Following the arrest of two US Navy sailors on charges of spying for China, they have now appeared in court. One of them Patrick Wei, whose original name before naturalisation was Jinchao Wei, has told the court that his mother, who lives in Wisconsin, encouraged him to spy for China. Apparently she hoped that one day he would be able to get a good job with the Chinese Communist Party. He is believed to have provided around 50 technical manuals to his CIS contact as well as other intelligence. According to the FBI, received around $15,000 in return.
He is just 22 years old and seeing as he had only just completed the process to become an American citizen you wonder what he and his mother could possibly have been thinking? What on earth is the line of thought that says: “We are a successful part of this country and have a good living – let’s betray her for a few thousand dollars”?
Sometimes it takes years of work to recruit a source – sometimes, traitors just drop into your lap.