A Chinese national living in California was arrested and charged by federal law enforcement after allegedly purchasing and exporting weapons and ammunition to North Korea at the direction of North Korean agents who paid him $2 million dollars to buy the equipment, according to a recently unsealed criminal document. complaint.
Shenghua Wen, 41, also admitted trying to obtain military uniforms in an apparent attempt to help North Korean soldiers disguise themselves and carry out a “surprise attack” on South Korea, prosecutors said in an affidavit accompanying the complaint, filed on November 2, 2017. 26.
Prosecutors alleged that Wen arrived in the United States on a student visa in 2012 and lived in Ontario, California. During a series of interviews earlier this year, he reportedly told investigators that he met with North Korean officials in China before coming to the United States and that they asked him to obtain firearms, ammunition and technology on behalf of Pyongyang.
Wen told the FBI he was “good at smuggling,” according to court records, and he allegedly admitted to shipping two containers of weapons in 2023 from Long Beach, Calif., to Hong Kong, where they were later smuggled clandestinely in North Korea.
Wen is accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against North Korea, which prohibit sending U.S. money or goods into the country without authorization. Wen’s lawyer could not immediately be identified.
The affidavit filed in a California federal court revealed that FBI agents recovered 50,000 rounds of ammunition from Wen’s car, and he allegedly admitted to purchasing the ammunition at the direction of North Korean officials. Law enforcement also seized a device used to detect chemical threats and a tool capable of detecting hidden surveillance devices, according to the affidavit. Investigators said they found photos of guns and equipment that Wen sent in messages with co-conspirators, some of which were included in the affidavit.
Ministry of Justice
The criminal complaint does not detail the extent to which Wen allegedly worked on behalf of the North Korean government, but prosecutors wrote that he communicated with his handlers through encrypted messaging apps where the officials directed his conduct and coordinated operations. smuggling.
Wen allegedly purchased some of the weapons he sent to North Korea through third-party buyers and told investigators he traveled to Texas several times to obtain the firearms. To finance the allegedly illegal purchases and international shipments, Wen told authorities that the North Korean government transferred approximately $2 million through a Chinese bank to bank accounts belonging to Wen’s partner, the criminal complaint states.
“During the interview on September 6, 2024, [Wen] “He explained that he believed the North Korean government wanted weapons, ammunition and other military equipment to prepare for an attack on South Korea,” prosecutors wrote, adding that his cell phone also contained numerous photos of American military uniforms, emphasizing its intention to ship the uniforms overseas.
The Justice Department has accused others living in the United States of similar conduct linked to the North Korean government. In May, federal prosecutors accused an Arizona woman for leading a project to help North Korean IT workers illegally obtain remote employment at U.S. companies. The group allegedly used the identities of more than 60 people living in the United States to generate nearly $7 million for the North Korean government from more than 300 American companies.
