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Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Obtain U.S. Military Equipment

Dingwei Chen, 29, faces up to 20 years in prison after admitting to Arms Export Control Act violations in federal court.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 8:55 a.m. ET
Dingwei Chen, a 29-year-old citizen of the People’s Republic of China, guilty on Aug. 10, 2026, in federal court in Salt Lake City to violating the Arms Export Control Act, according to a Department of Justice announcement. U.S. District Judge David Sam accepted Chen’s guilty plea and set sentencing for Oct. 19. Chen faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. According to official records released by the Department of Justice, Chen attempted to purchase military-grade satellite modems and radios made for the U.S. military by American companies. The hardware cannot be legally exported without a license from the Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, which generally denies licenses for exporting military items to China. Court records state that Chen worked with associates in China to procure the equipment from black-market arms dealers, discussing export routes through Switzerland, Saipan, and Mexico. Chen made an initial down payment exceeding $40,000 before sending roughly $30,000 in USDT cryptocurrency to purchase 10 modems, communicating across encrypted messaging where he claimed to have funding for tens of millions of dollars in military equipment. “Chen tried to divert sensitive U.S. military technologies to the People’s Republic of China, technologies the PRC could have used against us in the future,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations New Jersey and Director James R. Ives of the Defense Investigative Service noted that the joint investigation succeeded in halting an illicit procurement network aimed at acquiring sensitive communication technologies.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 12:55current

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