A U.S. Navy reservist has pleaded guilty to bribery charges after attempting to acquire unauthorized military identification cards for Chinese nationals, raising serious concerns about national security and base access vulnerabilities.
Raymond Andres Zumba, 27, entered a guilty plea on Wednesday to one count of bribing a public official, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in federal prison.
Zumba offered $3,500 in cash to an employee at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida in exchange for two unauthorized Department of War (DoW) identification cards.
According to federal prosecutors, the scheme was intended to benefit two Chinese nationals, one of whom was unlawfully residing in the United States.
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“Raymond Zumba must be held accountable for knowingly acting to compromise the safety of our warfighters and the security of critical military infrastructures for personal gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Norm Dominesey of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Southeast Field Office in a written statement.
The investigation into Zumba’s activities began in January 2025, after a confidential source — a fellow sailor who had served alongside Zumba for two years on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Carney — approached NCIS with concerns.
According to a criminal complaint, the informant met Zumba in November 2024 at a bar, where Zumba described having acquired substantial wealth through marriage to a Chinese national.
During that conversation, Zumba asked the source about their comfort level with housing Chinese nationals, prompting further suspicion. The source reported the interaction to NCIS and began cooperating with federal agents to gather evidence.
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After returning from a trip to Hong Kong, Zumba began contacting the source via Snapchat voice calls. On Jan. 23, 2025, Zumba expressed interest in the source’s wife, who worked at Naval Air Station Jacksonville issuing Common Access Cards (CACs).
These identification cards are crucial for accessing DoW facilities and are typically issued to active-duty personnel and DoW employees.
According to court documents, Zumba asked whether the source’s wife could provide two unauthorized Uniformed Services ID Cards — the kind issued to military dependents — for his in-laws, in exchange for an under-the-table payment.
He claimed the cards would be used for base access so the Chinese buyers could go shopping.
Federal agents with NCIS and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began closely monitoring the communications.
Zumba shared photos of the two Chinese buyers with the source, enabling federal investigators to identify one as a Chinese-born U.S. citizen and the other as a Chinese national who was unlawfully residing in the country.
In addition to the ID card scheme, Zumba allegedly offered the source and his wife another illegal opportunity: to marry Chinese nationals in exchange for $35,000 each, to facilitate fraudulent immigration benefits.
On February 13, 2025, the plot reached a critical stage. Zumba arrived at the Personnel Support Detachment (PSD) at Naval Air Station Jacksonville with the two Chinese nationals and another associate.
While the others entered the PSD to be photographed and fingerprinted for CAC cards, Zumba met with the source in the parking lot, providing $3,500 in cash as a down payment.
The following day, Zumba met the source again outside a Jacksonville restaurant to complete the exchange. After handing over the $3,500 for the two IDs, Zumba and the source joined one of the Chinese buyers and another individual for lunch.
At that point, federal agents from HSI, NCIS, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office moved in. Zumba and the two individuals accompanying him were taken into custody shortly after the meal.
The other Chinese buyer had already flown back to New York by then.
The case highlights the potential for internal threats within the military and the exploitation of base access protocols for personal and foreign gain.
Zumba’s actions, if successful, could have granted unauthorized individuals access to sensitive military installations, raising alarms about operational security and espionage risks.
The Justice Department has not yet set a sentencing date for Zumba, but he now faces up to 15 years behind bars.
The case underscores the continued vigilance of federal authorities in protecting military infrastructure from internal and external threats.
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