Arms Shipments To North Korea Linked To Inland Empire Man: DOJ

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — A San Bernardino County man was arrested Tuesday on a federal criminal complaint alleging he exported shipments of firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea under the regime's direction.

Shenghua Wen, 41, of Ontario, 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.

Wen — a Chinese national illegally residing in the United States after overstaying his student visa — was scheduled to make his initial court appearance Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles. His arraignment is expected in the coming weeks, according to prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice.

"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. I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for stopping this threat and their tireless commitment to the security of our nation," said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.

The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, along with other federal agencies, spearheaded the investigation into Wen.

"The significance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme cannot be overstated," said FBI Los Angeles Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis. "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. I’m proud of the hard work that went into building the case against Wen by dedicated agents and our partners who specialize in cases that involve illegal exports to foreign adversaries who evade sanctions and utilize weapons and technology for nefarious purposes."

According to an affidavit filed Nov. 26 with the criminal complaint, Wen and his co-conspirators allegedly exported shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea by concealing the items inside shipping containers from Long Beach through Hong Kong to North Korea.

On Aug. 14, law enforcement seized at Wen’s home two devices that he intended to send to North Korea for military use: a chemical threat identification device and a hand-held broadband receiver that detects eavesdropping devices. On Sept. 6, law enforcement seized approximately 50,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition that Wen allegedly obtained to send to North Korea, prosecutors said.

The investigation, however, dates back further. Wen’s iPhone showed that in Dec. 2023, he smuggled items from Long Beach to Hong Kong with North Korea as the destination, according to prosecutors.

Messages retrieved from Wen’s cell phones revealed discussions he had earlier in 2024 with co-conspirators about shipping military-grade equipment to North Korea. Some of the messages included photographs Wen sent of items controlled for export under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

From January 2024 to April 2024, Wen sent emails and texts to a U.S.-based broker about obtaining a civilian plane engine. There also were several text messages on Wen’s cell concerning price negotiation for the plane and its engine, prosecutors allege.

Information about Wen's alleged co-conspirators was not released.

Because Wen was in the country illegally, he was prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition. Additionally, he lacked the required U.S. licenses to export ammunition, firearms, and other devices seized by law enforcement, according to prosecutors.

"The defendant’s alleged attempts to illicitly export firearms and military technology from the United States at the behest of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea constitute an alarming violation of sanctions and export control laws,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Dunlap of the Office of Export Enforcement, Los Angeles Field Office.