DOJ charges Arizona woman in North Korea worker fraud

The woman allegedly operated a 'laptop farm' out of her home
She helped workers appear as if they were in the U.S.
The workers attempted to gain jobs at government agencies

Updated: May 17, 2024 / 04:16 PM CDT

The Justice Department in Washington, Friday, Nov. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

(NewsNation) — The Department of Justice has charged an Arizona woman, along with several others, in a fraud scheme that helped thousands of North Koreans get remote IT jobs for American companies.

Christina Marie Chapman allegedly helped facilitate the scheme, which was designed to evade U.S. sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and gain access to information.

The companies were unaware of the fraud, thinking they were hiring U.S. workers. The DOJ has not named those who were affected but said they include multiple Fortune 500 companies, a major TV network, a Silicon Valley tech company, an aerospace and defense manufacturer, a cybersecurity firm, a restaurant chain, a clothing brand and an “iconic” auto manufacturer.

Workers reportedly tried to gain remote jobs for government agencies but failed to do so.

Chapman is alleged to have operated a “laptop farm” In her home from the U.S. Investigators say Chapman would log onto the laptops and then help the workers connect remotely to make it appear as if they were based in the U.S.

She is also alleged to have helped cash paychecks and funnel the money back to North Korea in defiance of U.S. sanctions. The scheme generated at least $6.8 million in revenue that was sent back to the country.

At least 60 U.S. citizens’ identities were used, whose personal information was compromised, and false information was reported to Social Security and the IRS for those people.

Authorities also charged Oleksandr Didenko, a Ukrainian national, in the scheme. He was arrested in Poland. Minh Phuong Vong, a Vietnamese national, was also arrested in Maryland.

Three North Korean nationals — Jiho Han, Chunji Jin and Haoran Xu — who have not been taken into custody, were also named in the indictment. All three have ties to the North Korean Munitions Industry Department, which handles weapons production and ballistic missiles for the country.

The FBI, which conducted the investigations, issued a public service announcement that warned companies about the scheme, encouraging them to implement identity verification standards through the hiring process and to educate human resources staff and hiring managers about the threat.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.