An Arizona woman, Christina Marie Chapman, has been given a 102-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering charges, in a scheme that supported North Korean IT workers and "generated more than $17 million in illicit revenue." The elaborate fraud not only provided funds to North Korea but also exploited U.S. businesses and stole American identities, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Chapman was sentenced for helping North Korean IT workers pose as U.S. citizens to get remote jobs with more than 300 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 firms. She ran a “laptop farm” from her home and sent over 90 laptops overseas, some near China’s border with North Korea. She also laundered money from the scheme. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered her to forfeit $284,555.92 and pay a $176,850 judgment, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
“North Korea is not just a threat to the homeland from afar. It is an enemy within,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said in a U.S. Department of Justice report on the sentencing of Chapman, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office. FBI Special Agent Heith R. Janke stated, “This is an income stream going back to the North Korean regime to fund their nuclear weapons program,” as mentioned by FOX 10 Phoenix. The case, investigated by the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation, raised concerns about corporate hiring practices and cybersecurity, leading to updated guidance for HR professionals on detecting similar schemes.
