US sailor found guilty at court martial on attempted espionage charges

A US sailor stationed in Japan, Chief Petty Officer Bryce S. Pedicini, was found guilty on Friday in a general court-martial for attempted espionage, failure to obey a lawful order, and attempted violation of a lawful general order. He is set to be sentenced on May 7, as announced by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

NCIS Director Omar Lopez remarked in a statement, "This guilty verdict holds Mr. Pedicini accountable for his betrayal of his country and fellow service members. Adversaries of the United States are relentless in their efforts to undermine our military superiority."

Earlier this year, Pedicini faced accusations of 14 counts of espionage and transmitting defense information, along with the charge of not reporting foreign contact or that a foreigner had sought classified information from him, all constituting a failure to obey a lawful order.

He served aboard the USS Higgins (DDG-76) based in Japan.

CNN reached out to Pedicini’s attorney through the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s office for comment.

The allegations against Pedicini date back to May 2023 when, according to a Navy charge sheet, he unlawfully transported classified information, including photographs of a classified computer screen, which he attempted to transfer to a foreign government.

The charge sheet also reveals that Pedicini shared classified information with a citizen and employee of a foreign government on multiple occasions, starting in November 2022 during his time in Norfolk, Virginia. However, the specific foreign government is not mentioned in the charge sheet.

Originally from Tennessee, Pedicini enlisted in the Navy in 2008. He served on two other destroyers, the USS McFaul for nearly seven years and the USS Curtis Wilbur for more than five years, before being promoted to chief fire controlman in August 2022. He received three Good Conduct Medals and the National Defense Service Medal during his career.