Chief Petty Officer Fire Controlman Bryce Pedicini, assigned to the Japan-based destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76), was set to face a general court-martial this week, Navy officials said.
A sailor
assigned to a guided-missile destroyer based in Japan has been charged with
espionage and communicating defense information to a foreign citizen, according
to the charge sheet obtained by USNI News on Wednesday
Chief
Petty Officer Fire Controlman Bryce Pedicini, assigned to the Japan-based
destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76), was set to face a general court-martial this
week, Navy officials said.
“A
sailor assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins
(DDG 76) is suspected of mishandling classified documents and information. The
incident remains under investigation and legal proceedings continue,” reads a
statement from a U.S. Naval Surface Force spokesperson.
The Navy
is accusing Pedicini of smuggling classified information from secure spaces and
giving them to an employee of an unspecified foreign government between late
November 2022 to February 2023 in Hampton Roads, Va. The type of information
Pedicini is accused of sharing was unclear from the charging documents, which
also allege that he attempted to pass on photos, including those of a computer
screen designated to handle secret information, to a foreign national while in
Yokosuka, Japan.
Based on
the charging documents, Pedicini was arrested shortly after the attempted
espionage incident in Japan. According to the charging documents, Pedicni has
been in pre-trial confinement since May 19, or for more than nine months.
The
charges were referred for a general court-martial on Jan. 18, with the U.S.
Naval Surface Force as the convening authority.
According
to the Navy’s trial docket, Pedicini was set to have a hearing on Wednesday in
San Diego. His Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a civilian
arraignment, has already occurred. Pedicini’s attorneys were not immediately
available when USNI News attempted to contact them through a Navy public
affairs officer.
In
addition to espionage and communicating defense information charges, Pedicini
faces charges of failing to report foreign contacts to his chain of command,
failing to report solicitation of classified information, taking a personal
device into a secure room and transporting classified information.
According
to his Navy bio, Pedicini joined the Navy in early 2008 and served on
destroyers starting in mid-2009. He served aboard USS McFaul (DDG-74) and USS
Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) before reporting to Higgins in April.
Originally
from Tennessee, Pedicini was promoted to chief on Aug. 16, 2022.
Espionage
Allegations:
Nov. 22,
2022: In Hampton Roads, Va., Pedicini allegedly gave a document called “article
1112” to an employee of a foreign government.
Dec. 3,
2022: In Hampton Roads, Va., he allegedly gave a document called “Article 1112
add on 2” to an employee of a foreign government
Dec.
2022: In Hampton Roads, Va., he allegedly gave a document called “article 1112
add on 3” to an employee of a foreign government
Jan.
2023: In Hampton Roads, Va., he allegedly gave a document called“article 1223”
to an employee of a foreign government
Jan.
2023: In Hampton Roads, Va., he allegedly gave a document called “article 1223
add on 1” to an employee of a foreign government
Feb. 5,
2023: In Hampton Roads, Va., he allegedly gave a document called “article 1223
add on 2” to an employee of a foreign government
Feb. 19,
2023: In Hampton Roads, Va., he allegedly gave a document called “article 1223
updates” to an employee of a foreign government
May 8 to
17, 2023: In Yokosuka, Japan, Pedicini allegedly attempted to communicate
information relating to national defense photographs that included images of a
computer screen with secret information.
https://news.usni.org/2024/02/21/japan-based-chief-petty-officer-charged-with-espionage