5 Plead Guilty in US to Helping North Korean IT Workers

Five individuals have pleaded guilty in US courts to helping North Korean IT workers obtain employment at more than 130 companies. Audricus Phagnasay, Jason Salazar, Alexander Paul Travis, Erick Ntekereze Prince, and Oleksandr Didenko were involved in a scheme that allegedly allowed North Korean workers to be hired across numerous US firms; Prince is said to have earned more than $89,000 for his role.

According to the US Justice Department, the scheme targeted 64 US companies and resulted in more than $900,000 in salary payments from victim firms, while the overall scheme earned the North Korean workers roughly $1.28 million in salaries. Travis was an active-duty US Army member, and he earned more than $51,000; Salazar and Phagnasay earned a few thousand dollars each.

Didenko, a Ukrainian national, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft, and has agreed to forfeit more than $1.4 million. Overall, the DOJ says the five defendants helped North Korean workers trick more than 136 companies into hiring them, generating over $2.2 million for the regime.