Four North Korea nationality will be charged in the State of Georgia with wire fraud and money laundering after being held as remote IT workers in the US and Serbia’s blockchain companies and robbing nearly $ 1 million in crypto, prosecutors said Monday.
According to In the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Kim Kwang Jin, Kang Tae Bok, Jong Pong Ju and Chang Nam Il have obtained remote IT developed using fake and stolen identities to hide their citizenship in North Korea.
The team was first operated from the United Arab Emirates in 2019 before securing jobs at a start-up of Atlanta-based blockchain and a virtual token company between late 2020 and mid 2021.
Prosecutors said Kim and Jong submitted fraudulent documents, along with stolen and manufactured IDs, to secure their positions, a tactic of US lawyer Theodore S. Hertzberg called a “unique threat” to businesses hired by remote IT workers.
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Four North Koreans stole $ 915,000 in Crypto
When inside, the defendants used their privilege access to steal a large sum. In February 2022, Jong sipped about $ 175,000 in Crypto. The following month, Kim took advantage of the source code of smart contracts to steal $ 740,000.
The stolen funds were then -launder by mixers and sent to the exchange accounts controlled by Kang and Chang, all set up using fraudulent Malaysian IDs, investigators said.
“These schemes are targeted and steal from US companies and are designed to avoid penalties and fund the illicit programs of the North Korean regime, including weapon programs,” said John A. Eisenberg, assistant lawyer of general for national security.
The case is part of the DOJ’s DPRK Revgen: Domestic Enabler Initiative, a program launched in 2024 targeting North Korean’s illicit income streams and US-based enablers.
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DOJ will crack in North Korea’s crypto fraud
In another incident, federal agents also conducted coordinated raids throughout 16 states, which have taken nearly 30 financial accounts, more than 20 deceptive websites and about 200 computers from so -called “laptop farms” that activate North Korea’s operatives that appear as if they were working from the US.
The DOJ announced Sunday schemes have been involved in North Korea workers who arise as U.S. citizens, using stolen identities to obtain jobs to more than 100 American companies, funneling millions in Pyongyang and even accessing sensitive military data.
Last month, the DOJ filed a Civil Forfeiture complaint to seize $ 7.74 million In Crypto it is alleged that North Korean workers have earned that IT workers are coming from remote blockchain contractors by using fake identities.
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