Two New Jersey Men Sentenced for North Korean IT Worker Laptop-Farm Scheme
Summary
Two New Jersey men received prison sentences for helping North Korean IT workers obtain jobs at over 100 U.S. companies using stolen identities and laptop farms. The DOJ said workers stole ITAR-controlled source code from a defense contractor.
Key points
- Kejia Wang was sentenced to nine years in prison and Zhenxing Wang to nearly eight years after pleading guilty to fraud-related charges.
- Prosecutors said the scheme used about 80 stolen U.S. identities to place North Korean IT workers at more than 100 U.S. companies.
- The defendants hosted corporate laptops and used KVM switches to let overseas workers control them remotely.
- The DOJ said workers in the scheme stole ITAR-controlled source code from a California defense contractor.
- Court documents cited about $3 million in company losses; the operation allegedly generated more than $5 million for North Korea.
- The men must forfeit $600,000 and serve three years of supervised release; the DOJ announced a $5 million reward for information about additional suspects.
Article Details
- Event Type
- Sentencing of two facilitators of a North Korean IT worker laptop-farm scheme
- Impact
- Kejia Wang was sentenced to nine years in prison and Zhenxing Wang to nearly eight years after pleading guilty to fraud-related conspiracy charges. The scheme allegedly used about 80 stolen U.S. identities to place North Korean IT workers at more than 100 U.S. companies, causing around $3 million in corporate losses. Workers accessed sensitive data, including ITAR-controlled source code from a California defense contractor. The operation generated more than $5 million for North Korea, and the defendants will forfeit $600,000.
People
Brett LeathermanFBI Cyber Division Assistant Director who commented on the sentences and the FBI’s investigation of U.S. facilitators of DPRK IT worker schemes.John EisenbergAssistant Attorney General for National Security who commented on the defendants’ assistance to North Korean actors.John HelsingDepartment of Defense investigator who commented on the sentences and attempts to illegally access and export defense information.Leah FoleyU.S. Attorney who described how the laptop-farm operation enabled overseas actors to access sensitive data and undermine U.S. security.
Threat Actors
Kejia WangSentenced to nine years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. Prosecutors described him as the manager of a scheme that facilitated North Korean IT workers’ fraudulent employment at U.S. companies and generated revenue for North Korea.Zhenxing WangSentenced to nearly eight years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He hosted corporate laptops connected to KVM switches for remote access by overseas actors and helped create shell companies for the scheme.
Countries
ChinaKejia Wang personally traveled in 2023 to Shenyang and Dandong, both of which are near the border of North Korea and China, to organize the scheme.North KoreaThe DOJ said Kejia Wang, 42, was sentenced to nine years in prison and Zhenxing Wang, 39, was given a nearly eight-year sentence for an operation that generated more than $5 million for the government of North Korea.United StatesTwo New Jersey men were sentenced to nine years and nearly eight years for running a laptop-farm scheme that helped North Korean IT workers gain employment at over 100 U.S.