U.S. Navy Chief Charged With Espionage in Japan
A U.S. Navy chief petty officer stationed in Japan is facing four charges alleging he committed espionage and shared classified material with a member of a foreign government, according to a charge sheet obtained by USNI News.
The charge sheet names Chief Petty Officer Fire Controlman Bryce Pedicini, who was assigned to the Japan-based destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76).
The charging sheet listed a whopping 19 infractions committed by Pedicini including failing to report a foreign contact, as well as the solicitation of unauthorized materials by a member of a foreign government.
The charge sheet alleged that Pedicini delivered documents relating to national defense multiple times to a contact in Hampton Roads, Virginia between Nov. 2022 and Feb. 2023.
In May 2023, while in Yokosuka, Japan, Pedicini allegedly brought a personal electronic device into a restricted area and processed classified information on a system not approved for that material. USNI News reported that he took pictures of secret information on a computer screen.
According to the charge sheet, Pedicini was arrested in May 2023, and has been in pre-trial confinement ever since.
He was set to go to trial today in San Diego, according to the U.S. Navy trial docket.
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