Two men from New Jersey have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a scheme that helped North Korean operatives infiltrate U.S. companies and generate around $5 million, according to CNN.
Zhenxing «Danny» Wang, 39, was sentenced to more than seven years in prison, while Kejia «Tony» Wang, 42, received a nine-year sentence from a federal court in Boston for their involvement in a large-scale fraud operation. Both men facilitated overseas technology workers in securing jobs at major U.S. companies through so-called «laptop farms» they operated from their homes.
These setups involved company-issued computers that allowed remote workers to simulate operating within the U.S. Through this access, the workers collected salaries and, in at least one case, obtained sensitive export-controlled data from a defense contractor in California.
U.S. authorities believe the workers were linked to North Korea and used stolen personal information from U.S. citizens to gain employment at major companies, including a semiconductor distributor in Massachusetts and a software firm in California. Prosecutors said at least 80 Americans were victims of identity theft.
A similar case was reported in Arizona in 2024, where a woman was accused of facilitating identity theft affecting dozens of Americans and hundreds of companies. Authorities say the ultimate beneficiary of such operations is North Korea.
