US imposes extended jail time on North Korean laptop farm facilitators

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced that New Jersey residents Kejia Wang and Zhenxing Wang have been given nine-year and nearly eight-year prison sentences, respectively, over their involvement in running a North Korean laptop farm supporting the regime's fake IT worker scheme that has amassed over $5 million, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

"By operating so-called 'laptop farms,' these defendants enabled overseas actors to infiltrate U.S. businesses, access sensitive data, and undermine our economic and national security," said U.S. Attorney Leah Foley. The organization is accused of stealing the identities of approximately 80 American individuals between 2021 and October 2024 and giving them to North Koreans so they could work for many Fortune 500 corporations. According to court filings, the American corporations suffered losses of approximately $3 million.

"Today's announcement sends a clear message: U.S. nationals who facilitate DPRK IT worker schemes and funnel revenue to North Korea will face FBI investigation and potential prison time," FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Brett Leatherman said.