Military Sailor Charged With Espionage; Case In San Diego Naval Court

SAN DIEGO — A naval officer is accused of committing espionage in Virginia and Japan as his case works its way through a court-martial process in San Diego, according to military documentation.

Chief Petty Officer Fire Controlman Bryce S. Pedicini of the missile destroyer U.S.S. Higgins between November 2022 and February 2023 delivered information, some classified, to a citizen and employee of a foreign government while in the area of Hampton Roads, Virginia, according to a military charging document obtained by U.S. Naval Institute News.

Pedicini also in May 2023 tried to communicate photographs including images of a secure computer screen to someone from a foreign government while in the area of Yokosuka, Japan, the document said.

He wrongfully processed classified material, failed to report a foreign contact, failed to report solicitation of classified information by an unauthorized person and took a personal device into a secure room, according to the document. He also wrongfully transported and processed information he believed to be classified, the document said.

Pedicini was set to appear for a hearing Wednesday in San Diego, according to the Navy court-martial trial docket.