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By Dan Gooding
Associate News Editor
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An illegal Chinese immigrant has been arrested for allegedly shipping weapons to North Korea from California, set for use in an attack on South Korea, federal authorities announced Tuesday.
A criminal complaint seen by Newsweek alleged Shenghua Wen, 41, was working on behalf of the North Korean government to "procure firearms, ammunition, and export-controlled technology", including a long-range image stabilizer to locate targets.
The suspect, who arrived in the U.S. on a student visa in 2012 and never left, allegedly had two devices in his home which he planned to send to North Korea for military use when officials raided his Ontario, California, home on August 14.
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A month later, 50,000 rounds of ammunition, set to head to the same destination, were also discovered.
Items had previously been hidden inside shipping containers destined for Hong Kong, before making their way to North Korea, the complaint said.
"Wen explained that he met North Korean government officials at two separate North Korean Consulates in China before he came to the United States," the complaint read.
"According to Wen, during these meetings at the North Korean Consulates in China, North Korean government officials directed WEN to procure goods on behalf of the North Korean government."
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The suspect told officials that he knew those he met were from North Korea because of the "country apparel" they wore.
Officials said at a press conference Tuesday morning that they believed North Korea had sought to avoid restrictions placed on military equipment exports from the U.S., which require federal government approval.
"The conduct alleged in this complaint is chilling," U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada told reporters.
While Wen had initially shown hesitancy in carrying out the job, Wen allegedly sent two successful shipments in October and December 2023, which were paid for by North Korean government officials. Officials said that over $2 million had been sent to the suspect.
In order to carry out the job, Wen purchased a federal firearms license for $150,000 in May 2023, using another person's identity to register in Texas.
He then used other people to purchase the weapons, which he then stored in California until they could be shipped. U.S. Customs and Border Protection records of one shipment showed Wen falsely claiming one container was holding a refrigerator, while another was labeled as camera parts.
Wen allegedly worked with a broker in Hong Kong to track and manage the shipments, with another planned at the time of his arrest. The suspect was sending images of weapons he planned to ship.
Some of the ammunition was being stored in a white van outside Wen's home, the complaint said. He told investigators that around 20,000 rounds were bought at a gun store in Arizona, while the other 30,000 were picked up at an Ace Hardware in Sacramento, California.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego Special Agent in Charge Shawn S. Gibson said at Tuesday's press conference that national and global security had been put at risk by the alleged scheme.
Wen is charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a felony that carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Officials said they could not specify when the scheme began, but that the investigation, led by the FBI, was still underway and further charges could be filed.
"We will continue to investigate every aspect of this scheme. We know North Korea officials were involved," Estrada said.
Wen had arrived in the U.S. on a student visa in 2012 and that expired on December 3, 2013.
According to the complaint, a removal order was issued for Wen in 2018, but he remained in the country and was arrested in 2021, where he acknowledged he had overstayed his student visa.
Newsweek reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment via email Tuesday morning.
Update 12/03/24 1:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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