Treasury sanctions North Koreans, Russians over IT worker scheme
Summary
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 10 North Koreans and Russians accused of supporting a North Korean IT worker scheme. The department says the scheme sends earnings from fraudulent jobs to North Korea, where they help fund weapons programs.Key Facts
- The sanctioned network allegedly uses stolen identities, fake résumés and fraudulent IT workers to secure jobs at legitimate companies.
- Treasury says the workers send most of their earnings to the North Korean regime.
- Workers who gain access to company networks may also obtain sensitive data, deploy malware or extort employers, according to the article.
- Russian national Vitold Viktorovich Obertas was sanctioned for facilitating financial transactions for North Korean officials.
- Treasury says Obertas processed nearly $2 million in cryptocurrency conversions and at least $1.25 million in other currency transactions for North Korean officials since January 2025.
- North Korean national Kim Ki Hyok, who leads an IT worker delegation in Russia, was sanctioned; Treasury says he transferred nearly $500,000 in cryptocurrency for the delegation since 2024.
- Treasury also sanctioned the Russia-based First Financial and Technical Development Center and six of its operatives.
- The sanctions block U.S.-linked property of designated people and generally bar Americans and U.S. residents from dealing with them.
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