PYONGYANG (dpa-AFX) - In a sweeping crackdown across the country, US law enforcement authorities have busted the North Korean regime's schemes to fund its weapons programs through remote information technology work for U.S. companies.
The Justice Department said a New Jersey man was arrested, suspected 'laptop farms' were searched, 200 computers were seized and two persons were indicted in operations conducted across 16 states.
FBI and Defense Criminal Investigative Service have taken down 21 fraudulent websites and seized 29 financial accounts, used to launder revenue for the North Korean regime through the remote IT work scheme. These accounts were holding tens of thousands of dollars.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts and the National Security Division announced the arrest of U.S. national Zhenxing 'Danny' Wang of New Jersey. A five-count indictment throws light into a multi-year fraud scheme by Wang and his co-conspirators to obtain remote IT work with U.S. companies that generated more than $5 million in revenue. The indictment also charges Chinese nationals Jing Bin Huang, Baoyu Zhou, Tong Yuze, Yongzhe Xu, Ziyou Yuan and Zhenbang Zhou, and Taiwanese nationals Mengting Liu and Enchia Liu for their roles in the scheme.
According to the indictment, from 2021 until October 2024, the key players in the scheme compromised the identities of more than 80 Americans to obtain remote jobs at more than 100 U.S. companies, including many Fortune 500 companies. The targeted companies incurred legal fees, computer network remediation costs, and other damages and losses estimated at $3 million, the Justice Department said in a press release.
IT workers employed under this scheme also gained access to sensitive employer data and source code, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) data from a California-based defense contractor that develops artificial intelligence-powered equipment and technologies.
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