Arizonan accused of leading remote IT worker ring that aided North Korea
An Arizona woman engaged in a scheme that defrauded hundreds of U.S. companies and generated millions for North Korea's weapons program, according to a recently unsealed indictment.
Christina Marie Chapman, 49, of Litchfield Park, helped overseas information technology workers pose as U.S. citizens and lawful residents to get remote IT jobs with more than 300 U.S. companies, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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The companies included "multiple well-known Fortune 500 companies" and banks, according to a Justice Department news release. The indictment states that IT workers affiliated with Chapman compromised and used the identities of more than 60 people in the U.S.
According to the Justice Department, the scheme provided the North Korean government with a revenue stream and proprietary information.
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Chapman ran a "laptop farm" from her home, hosting overseas workers' computers so it appeared they were in the U.S., according to prosecutors. She is also alleged to have forged and received payroll checks and direct deposits on behalf of the overseas workers.
"On the surface, today's allegations of wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering may read like a typical white collar or economic crime scheme," said Assistant Director Kevin Vorndran of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division. "But what these allegations truly represent is a new high-tech campaign to evade U.S. sanctions, victimize U.S. businesses, and steal U.S. identities."
The charges against Chapman include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. She faces nearly 100 years in prison.
The indictment also charged three unidentified foreign nationals with money laundering.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Fortune 500 companies defrauded by Arizona woman, indictment alleges
