LOS ANGELES (CN) — A Chinese national living illegally in Southern California was arrested on Tuesday and charged with exporting firearms, ammunition and other military equipment to North Korea, at the behest of its government.
Shenghua Wen, 41, admitted to FBI agents that he was “exporting firearms and ammunition to North Korea at the direction of the North Korean government,” according to an affidavit attached to the criminal complaint. Wen also told agents “that he believed the North Korean government wanted the weapons, ammunition, and other military-related equipment to prepare for an attack against South Korea.”
Federal agents raided Wen’s Ontario, California home in August and found two military “devices” that Wen admitted he intended to send to the North Korean military: “a chemical threat identification device” and “a handheld broadband receiver that detects known, unknown, illegal, disruptive, or interfering transmissions” — in other words, a device that can detect hidden wireless microphones. According to the prosecutors, agents raided Wen’s van in September and seized “50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen admitted he procured to send to North Korea at the direction of North Korean government officials.”
As a Chinese national illegally living in the country, Wen is prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition. And under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, it is illegal to sell weapons to North Korea. If convicted, Wen faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
“We have arrested a defendant who allegedly acted at the direction of the North Korean government by conspiring to illegally ship firearms, ammunition, and other military equipment to North Korea,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada in a written statement.
Akil Davis of the FBI added in a statement: “Not only did the investigative team prevent additional restricted items going to the North Korean regime, but they gathered valuable intelligence for the United States and our allies.”
According to the Department of Justice, Wen came to the U.S. in 2012 on a student visa and never left. Prosecutors say Wen told investigators “that he met North Korean government officials at two separate North Korean Consulates in China before he came to the United States.”
During those meetings, “North Korean government officials directed Wen to procure goods on behalf of the North Korean government.” Wen told agents that he was likely selected for the mission because “he was good at smuggling.”
Two years ago, Wen says he was contacted by two North Korean officials living in China, according to prosecutors. Wen was able to communicate with them using and encrypted messaging platform, “Wickr.” He also said that “North Korean government officials wired approximately two million U.S. dollars to purchase firearms and other products for the North Korean government.”
As he was not a legal citizen, Wen was forced to use other people to purchase the firearms — many of which were bought in Texas. He packed them into a shipping container and shipped them to China, where they were then smuggled into North Korea.
Wen told agents that he had also been directed to purchase civilian airplane engines for the North Korean military, to “be used to help develop the North Korean military drone program.” North Korean officials also asked Wen to procure U.S. military uniforms “which would subsequently be used by the North Korean military to disguise their soldiers to conduct a surprise attack on South Korea.”
Wen is expected to make his first appearance Tuesday afternoon in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.