Justice Department Announces Charges and Texas Searches Targeting Alleged North Korean Remote IT Worker Schemes

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced coordinated actions against what it described as North Korean government schemes to raise money through remote IT work for U.S. companies. The actions include an indictment, two arrests, and the seizure of about 187 computer devices.

In the Northern District of Ohio, prosecutors announced the arrests of U.S. nationals Michael James Bostelle of Pennsylvania and Juan Cecilio Pena Carrillo of Texas under a four-count indictment alleging wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. The indictment also charges 10 China-based individuals, and two more defendants remain under seal, for 14 charged in total. According to the indictment, from 2019 to around July 2025, North Korean IT workers allegedly used stolen or fabricated identities to obtain remote jobs, aided by U.S.-based facilitators who hosted company-issued laptops at their homes, known as "laptop farms." The department said the alleged scheme affected more than 70 U.S. employers in Ohio, 16 other states and the District of Columbia, and generated about $3 million.

Separately, the department said the FBI searched more than 40 Texas residences between Sept. 21 and Sept. 25 as part of "Operation Lonestar Roundup." The FBI also issued a public service announcement for employers. The department noted that all defendants are presumed innocent.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/104