North America

Chinese born ex-US Army contractor from Westfield gets six months house arrest for copying classified files

A Chinese-born former defense contractor will serve six months of house arrest and five years of probation for lifting classified computer files while working overseas for the U.S. Army.

Wei Chen, 62, of Westfield. narrowly missed serving one year in federal prison – the term federal prosecutors were seeking. Under a plea agreement, Chen admitted to two criminal counts: damaging an Army computer and making false statements regarding his prior service with the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Chen was working as a computer systems analyst in a war zone in Kuwait in 2013 when he received notice he was set to be transferred to Afghanistan. He copied classified files onto a personal thumb drive for his own convenience. The government was not amused. It launched a full investigation, suspecting Chen may be a Chinese spy.

You've reached your daily free article limit.

Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.

Get Full Ad-Free Access For Just $0.50/Week

Enjoy unlimited digital access to our Military Culture, Defense, and Foreign Policy coverage content and support a veteran owned business. Already a subscriber?

A Chinese-born former defense contractor will serve six months of house arrest and five years of probation for lifting classified computer files while working overseas for the U.S. Army.

Wei Chen, 62, of Westfield. narrowly missed serving one year in federal prison – the term federal prosecutors were seeking. Under a plea agreement, Chen admitted to two criminal counts: damaging an Army computer and making false statements regarding his prior service with the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Chen was working as a computer systems analyst in a war zone in Kuwait in 2013 when he received notice he was set to be transferred to Afghanistan. He copied classified files onto a personal thumb drive for his own convenience. The government was not amused. It launched a full investigation, suspecting Chen may be a Chinese spy.

Read More- Mass Live

Image courtesy of US Army

About SOFREP News Team View All Posts

The SOFREP News Team is a collective of professional military journalists. Brandon Tyler Webb is the SOFREP News Team's Editor-in-Chief. Guy D. McCardle is the SOFREP News Team's Managing Editor. Brandon and Guy both manage the SOFREP News Team.

COMMENTS

You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.

More from SOFREP

REAL EXPERTS.
REAL NEWS.

Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.

TRY 14 DAYS FREE

Already a subscriber? Log In