A Navy sailor stationed in Japan was convicted on Friday by a military court for attempted espionage.
In February, Chief Petty Officer Bryce Pedicini, a fire controlman, faced eight espionage-related charges for allegedly providing documents to a foreign government employee between November 2022 and May 2023.
According to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) release, a seven-day trial found him guilty of attempted espionage, refusal to obey a valid command, and attempted violation of a legitimate general order.
“This guilty verdict holds Mr. Pedicini accountable for his betrayal of his country and fellow service members,” NCIS Director Omar Lopez said in a statement. “Adversaries of the United States are unrelenting in their attempts to degrade our military superiority.”
“Nevertheless, the American public may be certain that the NCIS will continue to discourage, disrupt, and defeat the continuous danger posed by foreign intelligence groups. Although the vast majority of Department of the Navy service members are respectable and dedicated public servants, NCIS is prepared to expose those who are not,” Lopez stated.
NCIS stated that their investigation indicated Pedicini supplied classified and national security material to a foreign government employee beginning in November 2022. Pedicini, according to the service, “had reason to believe it would be harmful to the United States or advantageous to the foreign nation.”
It is unclear with which foreign nation NCIS claimed he was dealing.
According to the service, Pedicini, who was previously posted to the USS Higgins, delivered the intelligence “under the guise of writing research papers.”.
He was apprehended by NCIS on May 19, 2023. His punishment by a military judge will occur on May 7.
