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U.S. Navy officials report that a chief petty officer serving on a guided-missile destroyer has been charged with espionage and communicating defense information to a foreign citizen.
The “charge sheet” reveals that Chief Petty Officer Fire Controlman Bryce Pedicini, serving on the destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76), will face a court-martial trial this week.
An excerpt from a U.S. Naval Surface Force spokesperson reads: “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.”
According to USNI news, Navy officials accuse 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.”
Among the charges, Pedicini is accused of photographing computer screens displaying classified information and attempting to sell them to a foreign national when in Yokosuka, Japan.
The charges were recently made public but were referred for a general court-martial on Jan. 18.
U.S. Naval Surface Force officials will serve as the convening authority in the upcoming trial.
USNI News also reported that 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.
Pedicini joined the Navy in 2008 and has served on several destroyers since the summer of 2009, including the USS McFaul (DDG-74) and USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54). Pedicini reported to the USS Higgins as chief petty officer last April.
Author, Navy veteran and podcaster Janae Sergio reported:
