Federal officials announced Thursday that they have sentenced a United States Navy sailor to 18 years in prison on espionage charges.
While serving with the United States Navy in Japan, former Chief Petty Officer Bryce Pedicini faced accusations of transmitting secret national security information on behalf of a foreign government official. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service reported that he was guilty of attempted espionage and disobedience to obey a lawful order.
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He had been posted to the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins in Japan when he was apprehended last year.
In addition to his prison sentence, Pedicini received a dishonorable discharge, according to the Navy.
Pedicini provided secret and national defense information to a foreign government official between November 2022 and May 2023, according to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
While the Navy stated that Pedicini released the documents while working for the service branch in Japan, it did not specify to which country he released them.
The service stated that he met with the foreign official “under the guise of writing research papers.” The Navy stated that US rivals were increasingly using this approach to access sensitive and unclassified documents.
According to NCIS Director Omar Lopez, the incident should not be interpreted as a reflection on the security of U.S. sensitive material, and the punishment holds Pedicini accountable for betraying both his country and his fellow service members.
“The criminal act by this lone individual should not diminish the incredible sacrifices made by our service members and their families on a daily basis to protect our nation,” Lopez stated.
Pedicini was accused of passing images of a computer designed for classified information to a foreign official while in Yokosuka, Japan, last spring, according to charging documents.
While the Navy did not specify the content of the records, officials claimed Pedecini had cause to think their release would be detrimental to the United States.
In previous claims, the Navy claimed Pedecini met with the foreign government representative under the cover of research papers, but he never stated whose country he was supposed to have released the documents to.
Pedicini had served on several naval ships and garnered numerous accolades throughout his service. He joined the Navy in 2009.
