Chinese language man in U.S. charged with sending weapons to North Korea
A Chinese language man dwelling in the USA illegally was arrested Tuesday and accused of exporting weapons and ammunition to North Korea and of planning to ship different expertise to the nuclear-armed pariah state.
Shenghua Wen, 41, was dwelling in Ontario, in Southern California east of Los Angeles, on an expired visa when he carried out the illicit commerce, officers mentioned.
At the very least two shipments of firearms and ammunition have been despatched, hidden in transport containers, from the port in Lengthy Seashore, California, and on to Hong Kong after which North Korea, in line with court docket paperwork.
“The importance of this arrest and discovery of this scheme can’t be overstated,” Akil Davis, assistant director in control of the FBI’s Los Angeles discipline workplace, mentioned in an announcement.
Some materials was seized by regulation enforcement within the U.S. earlier than it could possibly be shipped, officers mentioned.
In September, authorities searched Wen’s dwelling and located round 50,000 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and a receiver that detects eavesdropping units, the U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace in Los Angeles mentioned.
Wen got here to the U.S. on a pupil visa in 2012 however stayed after it expired, in line with an affidavit filed as a part of the prison grievance in opposition to him.
Wen instructed U.S. investigators that earlier than coming to the U.S. he had met with North Korean officers at consulates in China, and so they instructed him to ship items to North Korea, which is underneath extreme sanctions proscribing commerce, in line with the affidavit.
In 2022, Wen mentioned he was contacted by two North Korean officers in China who needed him to ship weapons and ammunition to North Korea, the affidavit alleges.
Wen purchased the weapons by means of straw patrons, largely in Texas, and drove them to California, in line with prosecutors. Wen “acknowledged that it was a easy course of for him to buy firearms,” the affidavit alleges.
He allegedly labored with different, unnamed co-conspirators. The creator of the affidavits is redacted, and another data within the doc is redacted as nicely.
The North Korean officers had greater than weapons and ammunition on their thoughts, in line with the affidavit.
Wen instructed investigators that the officers he was involved with needed him to ship civilian plane engines to assist the North Korean navy’s drone program, the affidavit creator wrote.
Wen’s cellphone allegedly confirmed messages a few half and controller of the Star Safire system, a navy video and infrared system to be used on plane.
The North Korean officers additionally requested for navy uniforms, which Wen mentioned he believed can be use to assist launch a shock assault in opposition to South Korea, the doc says.
On-line court docket information didn’t seem to indicate Wen’s case in publicly obtainable paperwork, and it was not clear if he had an lawyer who may converse on his behalf Tuesday afternoon.
Wen is charged with with conspiracy to violate the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act. If convicted, that cost carries as much as 20 years in jail, the prosecutor’s workplace mentioned.
