Archive · 3 Aug 2025
US Woman Jailed for Aiding North Koreans in $17 Million Job Scam
A woman named Christine Chapman helped North Korean workers trick US companies into giving them remote jobs.
She helped them pretend to be Americans by using fake names and managing computers for them, which the companies thought were real US employees.
She received money from these companies, which she then gave to the North Koreans.
This scam generated $17 million and may have helped North Korea's nuclear program.
Chapman has been sentenced to prison and must pay a fine.
Experts say scams like this are happening more often now that many people work from home.
Christine Chapman was sentenced to over eight years in prison for aiding North Korean IT workers in a $17 million job scam.
Chapman helped North Korean workers obtain remote jobs with US companies using false identities.
She created 'laptop farms', verified stolen identity documents, and forwarded paychecks to her co-conspirators.
The fraud involved 68 stolen identities and impacted major US companies like Nike.
Chapman was ordered to forfeit $284,000 and pay a $176,000 fine.
- Who
- Christine Chapman, along with North Korean IT workers, and victims of identity theft.
- What
- Christine Chapman aided North Korean IT workers in a job scam that resulted in the loss of $17 million.
- When
- Chapman's involvement began around 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Where
- The scam impacted multiple US companies, and Chapman lived in Arizona and Minnesota.
- Why
- Chapman helped the North Korean workers to obtain remote jobs with US companies, potentially to support North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
- Defendant
- Christine Chapman
- Age
- 38
- Charges
- Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering
- Total Fraud
- $17 million
- Sentence
- Over eight years in prison
- Forfeiture
- $284,000
- Fine
- $176,000