(RightWing.org) – President Joe Biden’s lax foreign affairs and national defense policies continue creating vulnerabilities within American society, government, and businesses. The Justice Department’s recent decision to charge a woman with helping North Koreans impersonate US citizens serves as a grim reminder of the potential damage the country faces from rogue nations.
On May 16, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia issued a press release announcing prosecutors’ move to unseal the contents of several court documents related to efforts by North Korea (formally the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK) to infiltrate hundreds of American companies to procure remote tech jobs. The statement discussed a multi-count indictment against 49-year-old Christina Marie Chapman, an Arizona resident, and three North Korean IT workers who allegedly participated in the scheme.
Court documents claim Chapman worked with her co-defendants to steal the identity of more than 60 US citizens to obtain remote positions in US companies. The DPRK allegedly “dispatched thousands of skilled IT workers” to use those borrowed or stolen identities to pose as US-based workers, infiltrate American companies, and raise funds for North Korea.
US Attorney Matthew Graves said the indictment shows the Justice Department’s “broad approach to attacking [North Korean] funding sources… across the United States.” He vowed to “vigorously pursue cases” against anyone — foreign or domestic — who unlawfully used American financial institutions and systems to raise money for the DPRK.
Kevin Vorndran, the assistant director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, echoed that sentiment. He also cautioned that the allegations detailed in the criminal indictments represent a “new high-tech campaign” to steal Americans’ identities, victimize US-based companies, and evade State Department and Commerce Department sanctions.
Prosecutors charged Chapman with unlawfully employing aliens, operating an unlicensed money-transmitting company, conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, conspiracy to commit identity fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Chapman faces up to 97.5 years in prison and a mandatory two years on the identity theft count. Her North Korean co-defendants could spend as many as 20 years behind bars.
Copyright 2024, RightWing.org
