U.S. charges 14 North Koreans in $88 million identity theft and extortion case
The Department of Justice accused 14 North Korean nationals of conspiring to use false identities to get IT jobs with U.S. companies and siphon money back to their home country, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
The Department of Justice accused 14 North Korean nationals of conspiring to use false identities to get IT jobs with U.S. companies and siphon money back to their home country, in violation of U.S. sanctions.
The indictment, filed Wednesday in Missouri federal court, alleged that the conspiracy generated at least $88 million between April 2017 and March 2023.
All 14 defendants are charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as well as conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Eight of the conspirators are also charged with aggravated identity theft.
The conspirators each face up to 27 years in prison if convicted, the DOJ said. All 14 are listed as “Wanted by the FBI.”
In some cases, they boosted their earnings by stealing sensitive company information and forcing employers to make extortion payments to prevent its release, the DOJ said.
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