Two Americans Sentenced for North Korean Tech Worker Scheme Defrauding U.S. Companies
Two Americans, Zhenxing 'Danny' Wang and Kejia 'Tony' Wang, have been sentenced to over seven and nine years in prison, respectively, for their involvement in a scheme that defrauded major U.S. companies and generated $5 million for the North Korean regime. The Justice Department revealed that the two men acted as middlemen in a conspiracy that involved tricking Fortune 500 companies into hiring overseas tech workers who stole the identities of various Americans. The scheme included managing 'laptop farms' from their homes, which allowed these workers to access major American companies, draw salaries, and in one instance, steal export-controlled data from a California-based defense contractor. The State Department is offering up to $5 million for information on other individuals involved in similar activities.