U.S. Arrests Facilitator in North Korean IT Worker Scheme; Seizes 29 Domains and Raids 21 Laptop Farms
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has taken major action against a scheme involving North Korean IT workers infiltrating U.S. companies. The operation resulted in: One arrest, 29 financial accounts seized, 21 fraudulent websites shut down, and Nearly 200 computers confiscated. Between June 10–17, 2025, authorities searched 21 “laptop farms” across 14 states. These facilities enabled North Korean IT workers to remotely access company systems using U.S.-issued laptops. With help from collaborators in the U.S., China, the UAE, and Taiwan, the North Koreans secured jobs at over 100 U.S. companies using stolen or fake identities. This allowed them to: Receive legitimate salaries, Access sensitive information (including U.S. military tech), And in some cases, steal large amounts of cryptocurrency, like the $900,000 taken from a blockchain firm in Atlanta. The main suspect, Zhenxing «Danny» Wang of New Jersey, is accused of earning over $5 million by facilitating this fraud. He and others created fake companies to route payments and used remote access tools (KVM switches) to let North Korean workers control U.S. laptops from abroad. Additionally, four North Korean nationals were charged with wire fraud and money laundering after stealing crypto assets and laundering them through Tornado Cash using fake Malaysian IDs. The DoJ warns that beyond revenue, these operations pose a serious national security threat, as insiders can steal data, extort employers, and bypass sanctions to fund North Korea’s weapons programs. Anterior
