A U.S. Navy sailor based in Japan has been charged with espionage for allegedly sharing classified information with a foreign government employee.
Bryce Pedicini, a chief petty officer fire controlman assigned to the Japan-based USS Higgins, has been accused of sharing classified information multiple times between November 2022 and February 2023, according to a charge sheet reported on by USNI News.
The charge sheet claims that Pedicini had “reason to believe it would be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation.” It does not specify which foreign government Pedicini sought to aid, though at one point he allegedly tried to share photos he took of a computer screen that showed secret information.
He was taken into custody in May 2023 and was moved to San Diego, where he remains in pretrial confinement.
A U.S. Naval Surface Forces spokesperson confirmed that “a sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) is suspected of mishandling classified documents and information. The incident remains under investigation and legal proceedings continue.”
He joined the Navy in 2008 and has served aboard USS McFaul and USS Curtis Wilbur prior to joining USS Higgins.
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In August, two other Navy service members were arrested on charges of providing classified information to China. Wenheng Zhao has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison, while Jinchao Wei has pleaded not guilty and his case is ongoing.
Similarly, last year, Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira allegedly posted hundreds of classified documents online to impress friends. He spent months sharing classified documents before being arrested in April 2023, a month before Pedicini was taken into custody.
