4 Americans plead guilty to helping North Korean scammers earn over $2 million from dozens of companies www.politico.com/news/2025…
Four Americans and one Ukrainian national have pleaded guilty to helping North Koreans pose as remote information technology employees to infiltrate U.S. companies and generate millions of dollars in income for Pyongyang’s weapons program.
The yearslong ploy impacted at least 136 U.S. companies and generated over $2.2 million in revenue, the Justice Department announced Friday. The announcement is part of a larger effort by the U.S. and its allies to crack down on the widespread remote IT worker scheme, which has impacted firms around the world, including many Fortune 500 companies.
In Georgia, U.S. nationals Audricus Phagnasay, Jason Salazar and Alexander Paul Travis each pleaded guilty this week to one count of wire fraud conspiracy after they allegedly allowed North Korean scammers to use their identities to secure employment at U.S. companies. They are also accused of helping these fake North Korean job-seekers pass employer vetting procedures and keeping employer-provided laptops in their homes.
