A US sailor who served in Japan has been accused of espionage by the US Navy and is facing a court martial on charges including communicating national defense information to a citizen of a foreign government, according to a charge sheet obtained by CNN on Wednesday.
A US Naval Surface Force spokesperson confirmed to CNN that “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.”
The sailor, Chief Petty Officer Fire Controlman (AEGIS) Bryce S. Pedicini is assigned to the Japan-based destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76), according to the charge sheet. The document accuses him of 14 counts of espionage and the communication of defense information, in addition to failing to obey a lawful order by not reporting a foreign contact or that a foreigner had solicited classified information from him.
While serving on the USS Higgins, Pedicini was taken into custody in May 2023 when, according to the Navy charge sheet, he wrongfully transported information he knew to be classified. Navy prosecutors say that included photographs of a classified computer screen that he attempted to transfer to a foreign government.
After being taken into custody Pedicini was moved to San Diego, where he remains in pre-trial confinement, a Navy official said.
According to the Navy charge sheet, Pedicini gave classified information to a citizen and employee of a foreign government at least six different times, beginning in November 2022 when he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. The charge sheet does not specify which foreign government.
US Naval Institute News was first to report.
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