US sanctions facilitators of DPRK IT worker $800 million fraud scheme

Crime Diary, Europe-Asia, International, North America, Technology

LAGOS, NIGERIA (NPA) — March 13, 2026 — The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned six individuals and two entities for their roles in North Korea’s government-orchestrated IT worker schemes that defraud U.S. businesses and generate revenue for its weapons programs. These operations reportedly raised nearly $800 million in 2024.

On Thursday, in a statement, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said: “The North Korean regime targets American companies through deceptive schemes carried out by its overseas IT operatives, who weaponize sensitive data and extort businesses for substantial payments.”

DPRK IT workers use stolen identities and fraudulent documentation to gain employment abroad, with most of their earnings funneled back to Pyongyang to support WMD and missile programs. Some workers have also introduced malware into company networks.

OFAC’s latest action targets facilitators in North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Spain. Among them are Amnokgang Technology Development Company, which manages overseas IT delegations, and Vietnamese CEO Nguyen Quang Viet, who converted $2.5 million into cryptocurrency for DPRK-linked workers. Others designated include Do Phi Khanh and Hoang Van Nguyen, who assisted sanctioned nuclear procurement facilitator Kim Se Un, and DPRK national Yun Song Guk, who led IT teams in Laos.

As a result, all property and interests of the designated persons in the U.S. are blocked, and U.S. persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Violations may result in civil or criminal penalties, and foreign institutions risk secondary sanctions if they facilitate significant transactions on behalf of those designated.

OFAC emphasized that sanctions aim to change behavior, not punish, and outlined procedures for petitioning removal from its Specially Designated Nationals list.