Chinese Illegal Alien Admits To Buying Gun Store So He Could Ship Weapons To North Korea

Officials said Monday that a Chinese national and alleged illegal alien in California purchased a Texas gun store in a plot to ship firearms to North Korea.

Forty-two-years-old Shenghua Wen resided in Ontario, California, and was taken into custody in December 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Central District of California stated in a press release.

Wen pleaded guilty to “illegally exporting firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea by concealing them inside shipping containers,” according to the USAO. He admitted to one count of conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and one count of acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government, the press release said.

Illegal alien from China pleads guilty to acting at the direction of North Korea to export firearms, ammunition, and technology to North Korea https://t.co/Rhaq6BjdOr

— US Attorney L.A. (@USAO_LosAngeles) June 9, 2025

Wen is a citizen of the People’s Republic of China and entered the U.S. in 2012 on a student visa, the USAO said. However, he allegedly stayed in the U.S. illegally after his visa expired in December of 2013, according to a plea agreement obtained by the USAO.

Wen was accused of meeting with North Korean officials before entering the U.S. at a North Korean Embassy in China, and these government officials directed Wen to obtain goods on behalf of North Korea, per the press release. (Read more from “Chinese Illegal Alien Admits To Buying Gun Store So He Could Ship Weapons To North Korea” HERE)

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