A Chinese national who was in the United States illegally, was arrested Dec. 2 for allegedly shipping firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea.
Shenghua Wen, 41, a resident of Ontario, California was arrested Tuesday morning and is expected to make his initial appearance in the Central District of California.
“The significance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme cannot be overstated,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said in a statement.
According to an affidavit filed on Nov. 26 with the complaint, Wen obtained firearms, ammunition, and export-controlled technology with the intention of shipping them to North Korea — a violation of federal law and US sanctions against that nation.
Shenghua Wen, 41, a resident of Ontario, California was arrested Tuesday morning and is expected to make his initial appearance in the Central District of California.
“The significance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme cannot be overstated,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said in a statement.
According to an affidavit filed on Nov. 26 with the complaint, Wen obtained firearms, ammunition, and export-controlled technology with the intention of shipping them to North Korea — a violation of federal law and US sanctions against that nation.
Wen and his co-conspirators had allegedly exported shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea by concealing the items inside shipping containers that were shipped from Long Beach through Hong Kong to North Korea.
On Aug. 14, law enforcement seized at Wen’s Ontario, California home two devices that he allegedly intended to send to North Korea for military use: a chemical threat identification device and a hand-held broadband receiver that detects eavesdropping devices. On Sept. 6, law enforcement seized approximately 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen allegedly intended to send to North Korea.
A review of Wen’s iPhone revealed to law enforcement that in December 2023, Wen smuggled items from Long Beach to Hong Kong with their destination being North Korea. Messages retrieved from Wen’s cellphones revealed discussions he had earlier this year with co-conspirators about shipping military-grade equipment to North Korea. Some of these messages include photographs that Wen sent of items controlled for export under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. From January to April, Wen sent emails and text messages to a US-based broker about obtaining a civilian plane engine. There also were several text messages on Wen’s iPhone concerning price negotiation for the plane and its engine.
On Aug. 14, law enforcement seized at Wen’s Ontario, California home two devices that he allegedly intended to send to North Korea for military use: a chemical threat identification device and a hand-held broadband receiver that detects eavesdropping devices. On Sept. 6, law enforcement seized approximately 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen allegedly intended to send to North Korea.
A review of Wen’s iPhone revealed to law enforcement that in December 2023, Wen smuggled items from Long Beach to Hong Kong with their destination being North Korea. Messages retrieved from Wen’s cellphones revealed discussions he had earlier this year with co-conspirators about shipping military-grade equipment to North Korea. Some of these messages include photographs that Wen sent of items controlled for export under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. From January to April, Wen sent emails and text messages to a US-based broker about obtaining a civilian plane engine. There also were several text messages on Wen’s iPhone concerning price negotiation for the plane and its engine.
"These engines would be used to help develop the North Korean military drone program," Wen is said to have told federal authorities, according to the affidavit.
Wen told the FBI “he believed the North Korean government wanted the weapons, ammunition, US militaryuniforms, and other military-related equipment to prepare for an attack against South Korea,” according to the complaint.
Wen arrived in the US on a student visa in 2012. After his visa expired, he was supposed to return to the PRC in 2018, but apparently ignored his exit date. He was arrested in 2021 for his visa violation. The DOJ would not elaborate how Wen avoided detention and deportation.
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US Department of Justice Restricted weapons and military grade technology seized from Shenghua Wen's home. |
Martin Estrada, the US attorney based in Los Angeles, said that prior to leaving China, Wen met with North Korean officials at North Korean consulates.
“Once Mr. Wen came to this country, North Korean officials reached out to him,” Estrada told the San Jose Mercury News. “They asked him to obtain specific items including firearms and ammunition.”
Estrada told the newspaper that North Korean officials paid Wen at least $2 million to do so. Wen bought Super Armory, a federal firearms licensee from the state of Texas, for $150,000.
Through his business and others he paid, Wen obtained firearms, often from Texas, and brought them into California to be shipped, DOJ officials said. There were at least two shipments in 2023, one of which was labeled as a refrigerator and another as camera parts, according to those officials.
Wen is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.
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