**Kejia Wang**, 42, and **Zhenxing Wang**, 39, were charged in June 2025 following a coordinated law enforcement effort led by the **U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ)** targeting the DPRK's fundraising operations. ### The Scheme According to court documents, between 2021 and October 2024, the pair generated over $5 million in illicit revenue for the DPRK government and an estimated $3 million in financial damages to companies. They achieved this by enabling North Korean workers to use stolen identities of over 80 U.S. citizens. As part of their operation, they established financial accounts, fake websites, and shell companies such as Tony WKJ LLC, Hopana Tech LLC, and Independent Lab LLC. This was done to create the illusion that the DPRK workers were affiliated with legitimate U.S. businesses, allowing them to collect payments without raising suspicion. Zhenxing Wang also facilitated access by hosting company-issued laptops in homes across the United States, allowing remote North Korean IT workers to access company networks. ### National Security Implications "For years, the defendants enriched themselves by assisting North Korean actors in a fraudulent scheme to gain employment with U.S. companies," stated Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. "The ruse placed North Korean IT workers on the payrolls of unwitting U.S. companies and in U.S. computer systems, thereby harming our national security."  *Fake driver's license and Social Security card (DOJ)* ### Ongoing Investigation Nine other defendants linked to the same scheme remain at large. The **U.S. State Department** has announced a reward of up to $5 million for information that could lead to the disruption of illicit activities supporting North Korea's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program. Kejia Wang was sentenced to 108 months in prison after pleading guilty in September 2025, while Zhenxing Wang received a 92-month sentence after pleading guilty in January 2026 to conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud. ### Broader Context In February, Ukrainian national Oleksandr Didenko was also sentenced to five years in prison for providing DPRK IT workers with stolen identities. The **FBI** has been warning about North Korean threat actors impersonating U.S.-based IT staff since at least 2023. The DPRK maintains a large army of thousands of IT workers who use stolen identities to secure employment with hundreds of American companies, as repeatedly noted by the FBI.