A Chinese national residing unlawfully in the United States pleaded guilty June 9th to federal charges for illegally exporting firearms, ammunition, and controlled technology to North Korea at the direction of government officials in Pyongyang, who wired him approximately $2 million for the procurement and smuggling operation.
Shenghua Wen, 42, of Ontario, California, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and one count of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. Wen has been in federal custody since his arrest in December 2024, following an extensive investigation by federal agents. He faces up to 30 years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing on August 18.
According to a sworn affidavit unsealed with the criminal complaint filed in the Central District of California (Case No. 2:24-MJ-07105), Wen acted under the direction of North Korean government officials to acquire firearms, sensitive electronics, and ammunition in the United States for eventual shipment to North Korea through Hong Kong.
Wen admitted during Mirandized interviews that he had met with DPRK officials at North Korean consulates in China prior to entering the U.S. on a student visa in 2012. After overstaying that visa, Wen continued to reside illegally in the country. He stated that he was selected for procurement activities due to his smuggling capabilities.
Beginning in 2022, Wen coordinated with two DPRK operatives, identified as “Jin Yong Nan” and “Cui,” to acquire and export military goods. Investigators recovered Wickr messages and Telegram communications in Chinese between Wen and overseas brokers detailing the acquisition, shipment logistics, and progress of containers destined for North Korea.
Wen acknowledged that he had shipped at least two containers filled with firearms from the Port of Long Beach, California, to Hong Kong in October and December 2023. These shipments were later routed to Nampo, North Korea. One shipment falsely declared its contents as “a refrigerator,” according to U.S. Customs records and shipping documents found on Wen’s iPhone.
Wen further admitted that in May 2023, he used $150,000 wired by DPRK contacts to acquire a Texas-based firearms business—AK5000 Inc. t/a Super Armory—using the name of an unwitting associate to register the entity with federal and state authorities. He used straw purchasers to acquire weapons in Texas, which he then transported to California for shipment. Wen drove three such shipments himself.
By September 2024, Wen had procured at least 60,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 50,000 of which were seized from his white Ford van in Ontario, California. He had purchased 20,000 rounds from a gun store in Arizona and 30,000 from a hardware store in northern California, all intended for export to North Korea.
In a September 2024 interview, Wen explained that the North Korean government intended to use the arms and ammunition in preparation for an attack on South Korea and to acquire U.S. military uniforms to disguise soldiers in such an operation.
On August 14, 2024, agents executed a search of Wen’s residence and recovered two export-controlled items that Wen admitted he had obtained for the North Korean government:
A Serstech Arx mkII Pharma, a handheld chemical threat identification device.
An ANDRE Deluxe Near-Field Detection Receiver, a broadband signal detector used to locate covert transmission or surveillance equipment.
Wen admitted he had falsified purchase orders for these items to avoid export license scrutiny and planned to ship them overseas. He had also pursued procurement of civilian aircraft engines and a thermal imaging system (FLIR STAR SAFIRE), both of which could be used for military reconnaissance and drone development. Photographs and messages related to these devices were recovered from his phones.
The U.S. government confirmed Wen held no export licenses issued by either the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) or the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), both of which are required for exports to North Korea under sanctions issued pursuant to Executive Orders 13466 and 13722 and codified in 31 C.F.R. § 510.
Wen’s legal immigration status expired in December 2013. He was ordered removed from the United States in 2018 and had previously acknowledged his unlawful presence in writing following a 2021 arrest. As an alien unlawfully present in the United States, Wen was prohibited under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(5) from possessing firearms or ammunition.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Department of Commerce’s BIS. Prosecutors include Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Gerdes (Central District of California) and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the DOJ’s National Security Division.
U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli stated, “This case represents a grave threat to U.S. national security. Wen acted knowingly at the direction of the North Korean regime to procure U.S. weapons and sensitive equipment in violation of U.S. law.”
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Eisenberg emphasized, “The Department of Justice will aggressively prosecute any individual who attempts to supply hostile foreign governments with U.S.-origin arms or technology.”
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