Dingwei Chen, a 29-year-old Chinese citizen, tried to purchase US-manufactured military communications hardware on the black market with the intention of smuggling the technology to China.Follow us on GoogleUS Attorney General Todd Blanche holds a press conference to discuss Tren de Aragua developments at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, July 1, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN)ByGOLDIE KATZAUGUST 11, 2026 18:01A Chinese citizen pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to attempting to smuggle US military hardware to China in violation of the US Arms Export Control Act, according to the US Justice Department (DOJ) on Monday.Dingwei Chen, a 29-year-old citizen of the People's Republic of China (PRC), tried to purchase US-manufactured military-grade communications hardware, such as radios and satellite modems, on the black market.Chen worked with individuals in China to acquire the communications systems from foreign arms dealers, eventually making a down payment of $40,000 to secure the technology.The co-conspirators then made another payment in cryptocurrency, equivalent to $30,000, for the purchase of 10 satellite modems.Chen, co-conspirators attempted to avoid law enforcement detectionChen and his accomplices shifted to using cryptocurrency because, according to the DOJ, they noted that cryptocurrency wallets “are essentially anonymous bank accounts. Each transaction processed through them is private and untraceable.”Radars are seen during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (credit: Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)Using encrypted apps to communicate in an effort to avoid detection, Chen claimed that the purchase of 10 modems was just an initial deal, and that he had enough funding to obtain tens of millions of dollars worth of military technology.Chen and the co-conspirators also discussed plans to covertly export the hardware to China, initially weighing shipping them through Switzerland or retrieving them in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Eventually, they agreed to smuggle the military equipment through Mexico.Such hardware is illegal to export without a license issued by the US Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, the DOJ stated.Chen’s guilty plea was accepted by a federal court in Salt Lake City, and he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.Smuggled equipment may have been used against USAssistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg asserted that if Chen had been successful in diverting the communications equipment to China, it may have been used against the US in the future.“Today’s guilty plea underscores the serious consequences for those who attempt to illegally procure, export, or transfer sensitive US-origin military equipment,” Acting Special Agent in Charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Investigations Spiros Karabinas added.“Protecting American innovation and preventing critical technologies from reaching foreign adversaries, terrorist organizations, and transnational criminal organizations is a core national security mission,” Karabinas continued, praising law enforcement agencies for their collaboration on holding Chen accountable.Follow us on Google