A United States Navy sailor pleaded guilty on Tuesday to sharing sensitive military secrets with a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for payments, the Department of Justice reported.

In August, Petty Officer Wenheng Zhao was arrested and charged with accepting bribes in exchange for U.S. military information. The DOJ accused Zhao of transmitting the sensitive data to a Chinese intelligence officer posing as a maritime economic researcher.

The 26-year-old was stationed at California’s Naval Base Ventura County in Port Hueneme. As part of Zhao’s role, he was granted U.S. security clearance.