SAIPAN — A federal criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Utah alleges a China-linked scheme to illegally export U.S.-controlled defense articles — including military-grade satellite modems — and identifies Saipan as a proposed in-person meeting site discussed in undercover communications, as well as the place where an arrest warrant would be executed.
The complaint charges Ding Wei Chen with conspiracy to violate the Arms Export Control Act and smuggle goods from the United States, an Arms Export Control Act violation, and smuggling goods from the United States. The filing alleges the conduct occurred from at least March 2025 through at least Oct. 1, 2025.
According to the complaint, the defense articles included military-grade satellite modems made by L3Harris (MPM-2000 and MPM-3000), Viasat (CBM-400), and Comtech (SLM-5650B), described as items on the U.S. Munitions List that require U.S. State Department authorization to export.
In an affidavit supporting the complaint and arrest warrant, an HSI special agent said arrest warrants can be executed outside the issuing district and stated the warrant in this case “will be executed in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands,” describing the CNMI as an unincorporated U.S. territory.
The affidavit also describes encrypted-app communications in which “Chen” raised concerns about meeting in Saipan, at one point suggesting Singapore instead and acknowledging the illegality of the goods. In the text exchange quoted in the filing, “Chen” told an undercover agent, “It’s still USA,” and “Our goods r illegal u know,” while also stating “Sapan is not a safe place to meet.”
On Oct. 3, 2025, the affidavit says a DHS database query showed a person named Ding Wei Chen traveling to Saipan, and states the itinerary details were consistent with what “Chen” told an undercover agent, including arriving the same day and staying at the same hotel.
