US Woman Sentenced to 8 Years for Assisting Remote Employment of North Korean IT Workers

Record Sentence for Aiding Illegal Employment of North Korean IT Workers
Operated a "Laptop Farm" and Facilitated Remote Jobs
at 30 U.S. Companies

According to reports by U.S. media outlets such as Politico on July 24 (local time), a U.S. court has sentenced a woman to eight years in prison for assisting North Korean information technology (IT) workers, whose remote employment serves as a key means for North Korea to earn foreign currency.

Kristina Chapman, a resident of Arizona, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges including financial fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. On this day, she was sentenced to this term by the U.S. District Court.

Media outlets reported that Chapman’s sentence is the longest ever imposed on a U.S. citizen involved in illegal employment activities of North Korean IT workers.

Chapman was also ordered to forfeit approximately $284,000 (390 million won) in profits she received for assisting North Korean IT workers, and was fined $175,000.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, from 2020 to 2023, Chapman operated a so-called “laptop farm” at her home, managing more than 90 laptops that were used to facilitate the remote employment of North Korean IT workers in the United States.

Through her laptop farm, Chapman enabled the employment of North Korean IT workers at more than 30 U.S. companies. These included major TV networks, Silicon Valley firms, aerospace companies, and U.S. automobile manufacturers.