Overview

• U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson imposed a 96‑month sentence after Shenghua Wen pleaded guilty on June 9 to conspiring to violate IEEPA and acting as an illegal foreign agent.
• Wen admitted North Korean officials wired him about $2 million and directed purchases that began in 2022, including firearms sourced in Texas and moved to California for export.
• Investigators say he bought a Houston gun shop as cover, filed false export paperwork, and sent multiple containers from the Port of Long Beach, including one mislabeled as a refrigerator that went to Hong Kong before reaching Nampo, North Korea.
• Authorities seized sensitive technology and materiel tied to the scheme, including a chemical threat identification device, a handheld broadband receiver, and tens of thousands of 9mm rounds intended for shipment.
• The case was investigated by the FBI, HSI, DCIS, ATF, and the Commerce Department’s BIS, and prosecuted by the Central District of California and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.