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Arizona Woman Sentenced to 102 Months for North Korean IT Worker Fraud Scheme

The punishment highlights U.S. resolve to shutter a scheme that used stolen American identities to funnel millions to the North Korean regime.

U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C. Jeanine Pirro in May 2025.
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Overview

  • Christina Chapman received a 102-month prison term, must forfeit $284,555.92 and pay $176,850 following her February guilty plea.
  • Authorities say Chapman ran a ‘laptop farm’ in her Litchfield Park home to mask North Korean operatives as U.S. remote IT staff.
  • The fraud involved the theft of 68 American identities and placement of North Korean workers at 309 U.S. companies, including Fortune 500 firms.
  • U.S. prosecutors estimate the network generated over $17 million in illicit revenue for Chapman and North Korea’s regime.
  • Justice Department and FBI officials call the sentence a precedent in countering sanctions evasion and urge firms to strengthen remote-hiring safeguards.