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$5 Million for Pyongyang: Two Americans Convicted for Secret IT Scheme With North Korea

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Two Americans from New Jersey, Zhenxing 'Danny' Wang and Kejia 'Tony' Wang, were sentenced to 7 and 9 years in prison. Their scheme: they created fake companies, stole the identities of 80 Americans, and enabled North Korean IT workers to work at American firms - including a California defense contractor.

The operation generated $5 million for Pyongyang's nuclear program. 'Laptop farms' - computers issued by American companies - served as entry points for remote access to corporate networks. In one case, data was also stolen from a defense contractor.

This isn't an isolated case. US authorities estimate North Korea has stolen billions through cryptocurrency hacking and IT worker infiltration. Sanctions clearly don't reach keyboards.