A Chinese national residing in Ontario pleaded guilty Monday in a scheme to illegally ship weapons to North Korea for use in a surprise attack on South Korea, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Shenghua Wen, 42, admitted to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government, prosecutors said.
Sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 18 in downtown Los Angeles.
Wen and co-conspirators smuggled an unspecified number of shipments of firearms and ammunition to North Korea two years ago by hiding the items in containers that shipped from Long Beach to Hong Kong, then on to North Korea, according to a criminal complaint filed Nov. 26 in Los Angeles federal court.
Court documents show that last summer federal agents seized from Wen’s home two devices that he admitted he obtained to send to North Korea for the isolated communist government’s military. The devices were a chemical threat identification device and a hand-held receiver that eavesdrops on transmissions.
According to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint, Wen violated federal law and U.S. sanctions against North Korea by obtaining firearms, ammunition and export-controlled technology with the intention of illegally exporting them. On Sept. 6, federal agents seized about 50,000 rounds of 9 mm ammunition that Wen acquired to send to North Korea.
Wen overstayed a student visa in 2012 to remain illegally in the U.S., prosecutors said.
“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.”
Before leaving China to come to the U.S. on the student visa, Wen met with North Korean government representatives in China and planned the scheme, prosecutors said based on information from Wen’s mobile phone. North Korea subsequently sent him at least $2 million to pay for materials and shipping costs.
In the U.S., prosecutors said Wen bought a business to acquire weapons and other items for exporting to North Korea, including military uniforms “to help conduct a surprise attack on South Korea,” Wen was told.
Prosecutors contend that from January to April 2024, Wen sent emails and text messages to a U.S.-based broker about obtaining a civilian plane engine. Text messages on Wen’s iPhone also contained price negotiation for the plane and engine, according to court documents.
The maximum sentence for the charges Wen is facing is 20 years in federal prison.
The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security were the federal agencies involved in the investigation.
Updated June 9, 2025, 1:08 p.m.