California man admits to shipping weapons to North Korea
A California man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after admitting he shipped weapons and ammunition to North Korea, allegedly to support a surprise military strike against South Korea, U.S. authorities announced Tuesday.
Shenghua Wen, 42, originally came to the U.S. from China on a student visa in 2012 but remained in the country illegally after it expired, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
Wen pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. He was sentenced on Monday.
According to a federal complaint, Wen told investigators he met with North Korean officials at their embassy in China before coming to the U.S. They directed him to acquire materials for the North Korean government. Among the items Wen sought were military uniforms intended to disguise North Korean soldiers for a planned surprise attack.
Prosecutors said North Korean officials contacted Wen in 2022 via an online messaging app and instructed him to purchase firearms. In 2023, he shipped two containers of weapons and other materials from Long Beach, California, to North Korea through Hong Kong. Wen claimed he received approximately $2 million for the operation.
Authorities did not disclose the specific types of weapons involved. To facilitate the scheme, Wen purchased a Texas-based business, Super Armory, for $150,000 and registered it under a business partner’s name. He then had others purchase firearms, which he transported to California, falsely labeling the shipments as refrigerator and camera parts.
In September, the FBI seized 50,000 rounds of ammunition from Wen’s home in Ontario, a suburb of Los Angeles. The ammunition had been stored in a van parked in his driveway. Investigators also found a chemical threat identification device and a transmission detection device, which Wen allegedly intended to send to North Korea for military purposes.
The case underscores concerns over North Korea’s ongoing efforts to enhance its military capabilities, including recent moves by leader Kim Jong Un to position nuclear-capable missile systems near the South Korean border.
Under international law, including U.N. resolutions, North Korea is prohibited from importing or exporting weapons.
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