A person dwelling in California has been accused of exporting weapons and ammunition to North Korea, the Division of Justice (DOJ) mentioned in a press launch Tuesday.
In line with the DOJ’s launch, authorities arrested 41-year-old Shenghua Wen on Tuesday “on a criminal complaint alleging that he exported shipments of firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea.” The objects have been hidden inside delivery containers heading out of Lengthy Seashore, Calif, the DOJ mentioned.
The DOJ, in an affidavit, mentioned that Wen, a Chinese language nationwide, was in a position to purchase firearms, export-controlled expertise, and ammunition with the purpose of sending them to North Korea. Wen, alongside co-conspirators, allegedly despatched firearms and ammunition to North Korea by hiding them inside delivery containers heading out of Lengthy Seashore “through Hong Kong to North Korea.”
“Wen is a Chinese national who is illegally in the United States after overstaying his student visa and is therefore prohibited from possessing any firearms or ammunition,” the DOJ mentioned of their press launch. “Wen lacks the required licenses from the U.S. government to export ammunition, firearms, and the other devices that law enforcement seized at his home to North Korea.”
The DOJ mentioned Wen had messages on his cell telephones from earlier in 2024 through which he mentioned sending “military-grade equipment to North Korea” with co-conspirators. Among the many messages have been images from Wen that includes “items controlled for export under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations,” authorities mentioned.
The Justice Division mentioned in its press launch that textual content messages and emails have been despatched from Wen “to a U.S.-based broker” between January and April of this yr concerning buying “a civilian plane engine.”
Wen has been charged with conspiracy to violate the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act, which give him a jail sentence of as much as 20 years, in accordance with the DOJ.
