Two 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 that experts warn poses significant national security risks.
According to court documents, the scheme dates back to September 2024 and centers around the U.S. Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida. Bailey, who was assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, allegedly accepted $45,000 from Chinese nationals to enter into sham marriages with them so they could obtain permanent residency in the United States. Chambers, stationed at the same base, was reportedly offered $35,000 for similar involvement.
Prosecutors state that the plan involved marrying foreign nationals, helping them secure U.S. green cards, and later divorcing them to create a cover for potential intelligence gathering. Investigators allege that the operation deliberately targeted U.S. service members due to their access to sensitive military facilities.
The case has drawn sharp criticism from former Central Intelligence Agency operative J. Michael Waller, who described it as a “targeted intelligence recruitment and collection operation” designed to gain access to Naval Air Station Jacksonville through marriage-based base credentials. Waller warned that such schemes could compromise 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.”
Waller added that the case reflects deeper structural problems within the U.S. Navy, noting: “It’s only starting to come back.” If convicted, Bailey and Chambers each face up to five years in federal prison.
The charges follow a pattern of increasing national security concerns involving Chinese intelligence operations targeting American military personnel. In 2025, a former Navy sailor was found guilty of spying for China after passing sensitive information while holding a security clearance, and another State Department official was sentenced to four years for providing classified defense data to individuals linked to the Chinese government.
