E. Martin Estrada, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California
An individual from China has admitted guilt in a federal court for illegally exporting firearms, ammunition, and other military items to North Korea. Shenghua Wen, 42, residing in Ontario, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government.
Wen's illegal activities were conducted under the direction of North Korean government officials who compensated him with approximately $2 million. His actions included concealing firearms inside shipping containers departing from the Port of Long Beach. These shipments were falsely documented to evade detection.
Having entered the United States on a student visa in 2012, Wen remained illegally after his visa expired in December 2013. Before his entry into the U.S., he was instructed by North Korean officials at an embassy in China to acquire goods for their country.
In 2022, through online communication with North Korean contacts, Wen was directed to procure and smuggle firearms and sensitive technology from the United States via China. In 2023 alone, Wen shipped multiple containers filled with firearms out of Long Beach port bound for North Korea through intermediaries in China.
Wen acquired a firearms business in Houston using funds wired by his North Korean contacts. He transported these weapons across state lines from Texas to California before arranging their shipment overseas. One notable instance involved disguising a weapons shipment as containing a refrigerator when it left Long Beach port for Hong Kong.
In September 2024, further instructions led Wen to purchase approximately 60,000 rounds of ammunition intended for shipment to North Korea. Additionally, he obtained sensitive technology such as chemical threat identification devices and other equipment potentially used for reconnaissance purposes.
Throughout this scheme, Wen acknowledged that he was aware of the illegality of his actions but proceeded without obtaining necessary export licenses or notifying U.S. authorities about his activities directed by North Korea.
Sentencing is scheduled for August 18 under United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson where Wen could face up to 20 years imprisonment on IEEPA violations and another decade for being an unauthorized foreign agent.
This case was investigated by several agencies including FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; DCIS; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security while prosecution is handled by Assistant U.S Attorney Sarah E. Gerdes alongside Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal from National Security Division’s Counterintelligence Section.
