West
US Navy sailor sentenced to 27 months for transmitting sensitive military info to China
A U.S. Navy sailor has been sentenced to 27 months in prison after transmitting sensitive military information to a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for around $15,000 in bribe payments, the Justice Department says.
The punishment against Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao, aka Thomas Zhao, a 26-year-old from Monterey Park, California, was issued Monday following his October 2023 guilty plea to one count of conspiring with the intelligence officer and one count of receiving a bribe, according to the Justice Department.
“Mr. Zhao betrayed his solemn oath to defend his country and endangered those who serve in the U.S. military,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division said in a statement. “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.”
The agency said between August 2021 and at least May 2023, Zhao, who worked and held a U.S. security clearance at Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme, California, “received at least $14,866 in at least 14 separate bribe payments from the intelligence officer.”
US NAVY SAILOR ENCOURAGED BY MOTHER TO SELL SECRETS TO CHINA FOR POSSIBLE JOB OPPORTUNITIES, ATTORNEY SAYS
Construction Electrician 3rd Class Wenheng Zhao, assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3, is seen in November 2019 during a training exercise at Fort Hunter Liggett, California. Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital last year said Zhao “served as a construction electrician” in Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 3.
“In exchange for the illicit payments, Zhao secretly collected and transmitted to the intelligence officer sensitive, non-public information regarding U.S. Navy operational security, military trainings and exercises, and critical infrastructure,” the Justice Department said. “Zhao entered restricted military and naval installations to collect and record this 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,” it added.
2 SAILORS HIT WITH CHARGES TIED TO NATIONAL SECURITY, CHINA
Zhao tried to conceal his relationship with the Chinese intelligence officer, the Justice Department says. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
Federal prosecutors alleged that Zhao used encrypted communication methods to transmit the information and then destroyed evidence and tried to hide his relationship with the Chinese officer.
In addition to the sentencing, Zhao also has been ordered to pay a $5,500 fine.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews the honour guard during a welcome ceremony at The Great Hall of the People on Nov. 22, 2023, in Beijing, China. Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division says “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.” (Florence Lo – Pool/Getty Images)
The investigation into his behavior was carried out by the FBI Los Angeles Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with assistance from the IRS, the Justice Department says.
Read the full article from Here
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 18, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 18 drawing
1PM: 2-7-1-6
4PM: 4-7-3-2
7PM: 3-7-5-1
10PM: 2-1-7-7
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
SALT LAKE CITY – The San Juan County assessor has resigned partway through his second term, following a recommendation that he be removed from office.
Rick Meyer’s resignation became effective on Monday, according to San Juan County Commissioner Lori Maughan. A copy of Meyer’s resignation letter was not immediately available.
This comes after the Utah State Tax Commission determined that Meyer had failed to follow the law and was “unfit to perform his duties.” In a letter last week to San Juan County commissioners, the tax commission recommended “the immediate removal of the San Juan County assessor from office to protect the public interest and restore the integrity of the property tax system in San Juan County.”
Among other things, Meyer was accused of failing to tax agricultural buildings, misclassifying property, and giving property tax exemptions to certain parcels, including vacant land, when he shouldn’t have.
The recommendation to remove Meyer from office was the first under a recent state law giving the Utah State Tax Commission more power to take corrective action against county assessors who aren’t doing their jobs properly. Assessors play a major role in the property tax process by determining the value of property throughout their counties.
Yet, it was unclear whether the San Juan County Commission could have actually removed Meyer from office had he not stepped down.
With Meyer’s resignation, the San Juan County Assessor’s Office has just one employee left. Deputy assessor Nathan Pitts will run the office until the San Juan County Republican Party recommends a replacement and the County Commission appoints one.
“It’s me holding down the fort here,” Pitts told KSL on Thursday, noting that he has spoken with the Utah Association of Counties and the state tax commission about plans for this interim period. “Everybody’s on board to assist and try to make it the best as we can, (but) I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me.”
Pitts said he does not plan to run for county assessor to replace his old boss.
“That is not my intention at all,” he said. “I’m quite content as a deputy assessor.”
Meyer was first elected as San Juan County assessor in 2020 and won reelection in 2024. His current term was set to conclude in 2029.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Some needed rain early
- Sunshine On the way
- Nice, dry weekend
- Stormy Monday
Most of the area will get at least some rain this morning but a cold front will push the rain out and bring the sunshine back by early this afternoon.
Southern Maryland and the Northern Neck of VA will get the most rain (1/4” to 1/2”) while the Shenandoah Valley will be lucky to get much more than a few hundredths of an inch. Southeast Virginia is likely to get over 1” of rain. I-95 travel South of Richmond, and I-64 towards Virginia Beach, could be slowed by the rain. Here in our area, the rain will be over by noon and sunshine will be making a quick return.
Steady, northwest winds will bring much lower humidity levels and ensure a beautiful weekend for all of the Capital Pride activities and Father’s Day on Sunday.
Afternoon highs will mostly be in the low/mid 80s today and Saturday and the mid/upper 80s on Sunday.
Better still, overnight lows tonight and Saturday night will fall into the 50s north and west of Dulles Airport and the low-60s in metro D.C.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
Clouds will return late Sunday afternoon and rain chances will arrive late Sunday night. All of the forecast models are still showing a high chance for rain for Monday into Tuesday. This doesn’t look like a blockbuster event but rain totals of around 1/2” still look like a good bet.
All of our region is still in drought with extreme drought conditions for most of central Virginia and all of the Delmarva Peninsula. That Monday storm is pretty much our best chance for rain over the next 10-14 days. Thankfully, the long range temperature outlook is for daytime highs to stay in the 80s all the way through next week.
QuickCast
TODAY:
AM showers likely
Sunny, dry after 3 p.m.
Turning less humid
Wind: northwest 10-20 mph
Chance of rain: 60%
HIGHS: 80° to 85°
TONIGHT:
Mainly clear
Nice breeze
Cooler than average
Wind: northwest 10-15 mph
Chance of rain: 0%
LOWS: 55° to 65°
SATURDAY:
Sunny skies
Breezy afternoon
Very low humidity
Wind: northwest 15-20 mph
Chance of rain: 0%
HIGHS: 78° to 85°
SUNDAY:
Increasing clouds
Seasonably warm
Showers after 11 p.m.
Wind: northwest/west 10 mph
Chance of rain: HIGHS: 85° to 90°
MONDAY:
Cloudy, breezy and humid
Rain, thunderstorms
Rainfall near 1/2” likely
Wind: southwest 15-25 mph
Chance of rain: 80%
HIGHS: 83° to 88°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
-
North Carolina2 minutes ago
NC ranks 9th nationally in business using AI
-
North Dakota5 minutes agoA hero’s return for WWII POW Irvin Ellingson
-
Ohio10 minutes agoLicking County real estate transfers for June 1-5, 2026, hit $865,000
-
Oklahoma17 minutes agoMost Oklahoma voters didn’t cast a ballot during June’s primary election
-
Oregon20 minutes ago
Oregon Lottery Pick 4 results for June 18
-
Pennsylvania25 minutes agoPresident Trump to visit Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, next week
-
Rhode Island32 minutes agoRhode Island Pride turns 50 this weekend: ‘Queer joy is resistance’ – The Boston Globe
-
South-Carolina35 minutes ago
87-year-old South Carolina businessman says he has no plans to retire
