‼️29-year-old Chinese citizen Dingwei Chen has pleaded guilty in federal court. He attempted to purchase U.S. military-grade satellite modems and radios — sensitive communications equipment manufactured by American companies specifically for the U.S. military. These items are strictly controlled under the Arms Export Control Act and cannot be legally exported to China. Chen worked with co-conspirators inside China. They discussed multiple smuggling routes: first through Switzerland, then pickup in Saipan, and finally planned to smuggle the equipment through Mexico. They already paid more than $40,000 as a down payment, plus another roughly $30,000 in cryptocurrency (USDT). Using encrypted messaging apps, Chen stated this was only the “first deal” and that he had funding ready to buy tens of millions of dollars’ worth of additional military equipment. He was arrested in Saipan in October 2025. He pleaded guilty on August 10, 2026, in federal court in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sentencing is set for October 19. He faces up to 20 years in prison. ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was part of the investigative team that brought this case to justice. This is exactly the kind of operation the Chinese Communist Party keeps running: trying to steal America’s most sensitive military communications technology. If they succeed, it directly endangers the lives of U.S. service members.