US Navy sailor charged with espionage for passing Confidential Data To Foreign Government
A Japan-based US Navy sailor has been charged with espionage for passing classified information to a foreign government.
Bryce Pedicini allegedly gave documents to foreign agents at least seven times in 2022 and 2023.
The US Navy also accuses him of trying in May 2023 to hand over photographs showing the screen of a military computer.
He faces a court-martial while the investigation continues.
The accused is a chief petty officer fire controlman assigned to a Japan-based guided missile destroyer, the USS Higgins.
He has been in custody since May 2023, just days after the last alleged incident in Japan.
The other incidents happened over a period of 4 months in Hampton Roads, Virginia, in late 2022 and early 2023.
It is unclear what country he allegedly attempted to pass documents to or what those files contained.
The charging sheet notes only that the information was "relating to the national defence".