A Chinese language nationwide dwelling in California has been arrested and charged by federal legislation enforcement after he allegedly purchased and exported weapons and ammunition to North Korea on the course of North Korean brokers who funneled him $2 million to buy the gear, in line with a newly unsealed prison grievance.
Shenghua Wen additionally admitted to attempting to acquire navy uniforms in an obvious try to assist North Korean troopers disguise themselves and conduct a “shock assault” towards South Korea, prosecutors stated in an affidavit accompanying the grievance, which was filed on Nov. 26.
Prosecutors alleged Wen got here to the U.S. on a scholar visa in 2012. Throughout a sequence of interviews earlier this yr, he allegedly instructed investigators that he met with North Korean officers in China earlier than coming to the U.S., and so they directed him to obtain firearms, ammunition and know-how on behalf of Pyongyang.
Wen instructed the FBI he was “good at smuggling,” court docket data stated, and he allegedly admitted he shipped two containers of weapons in 2023 from Lengthy Seashore, California, to Hong Kong, the place they had been then smuggled into North Korea.
Wen is charged with conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on North Korea, which make it unlawful to ship American cash or items to the nation with out permission. An lawyer for Wen couldn’t instantly be recognized.
The affidavit filed in federal court docket in California revealed that FBI brokers recovered 50,000 rounds of ammunition from Wen’s automobile, and he allegedly admitted to having purchased the ammo on the course of North Korean officers. Regulation enforcement additionally seized a tool used to detect chemical threats and a instrument that may detect hidden surveillance gadgets, in line with the affidavit. Investigators stated they discovered images of firearms and gear that Wen despatched in messages with co-conspirators, a few of which they included within the affidavit.
Justice Division
The prison grievance didn’t element the whole extent to which Wen allegedly labored on behalf of North Korea’s authorities, however prosecutors wrote he communicated along with his handlers by way of encrypted messaging apps the place the officers directed his conduct and coordinated the smuggling operations.
Wen allegedly purchased a number of the weapons he despatched to North Korea by way of third-party straw purchasers and instructed investigators he drove on quite a few events to Texas to acquire the firearms. To fund the allegedly unlawful purchases and worldwide shipments, Wen instructed authorities the North Korean authorities funneled about $2 million by a Chinese language Financial institution into financial institution accounts belonging to Wen’s accomplice, the prison grievance stated.
“Through the interview on September 6, 2024, [Wen] defined that he believed the North Korean authorities needed the weapons, ammunition, and different military-related gear to organize for an assault towards South Korea,” prosecutors wrote, including his cellphone additionally contained quite a few images of U.S. navy uniforms, pointing to his intent to ship the uniforms abroad.
The Justice Division has charged different people dwelling within the U.S. with comparable conduct tied to the North Korean authorities. In Might, federal prosecutors accused an Arizona lady of finishing up a scheme to assist North Korean IT employees illegally acquire distant employment with American firms. The group allegedly used the identities of greater than 60 people who lived within the U.S. to generate practically $7 million for the North Korean authorities from greater than 300 U.S. firms.
