Nail Salon’s employee declares himself guilty after holding 13 remote computer tasks worked by developers in China

• Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong, 40 -year -old Bowie, Maryland will be sentenced in August After declaring himself guilty of conspiracy to commit thread fraud this month. Vong’s guilty resource is the last intrigue of what authorities say vast dishonest Scheme of workers This funds the illegal program of nuclear weapons and Balristic Missiles of North Korea. Authorities claimed that Vong rented its identity in the United States to developers based in China, who used it to obtain more than a dozen remote technology jobs, some of which involved contractual work for sensitive government agencies.

A 40 -year -old Maryland man is opposite Decades in prison after allegedly working with foreign nationals in China to obtain remote work with at least 13 North -American companies between 2021 and 2024. His jobs paid more than $ 970,000 in salary for software development tasks that were really performed by operational authorities who say they are from North Korea and work in a place in Shenyang, China, China.

China -based developers used the company’s computer company, some of which involved hiring software services to US government agencies Aviation Federal AdministrationTo obtain access to highly sensitive government systems that they joined from abroad, according to authorities. According to the Department of Justice, the Maryland’s man’s regime is part of a Vast fraud operation in which he formed North Korea Nationals work with American facilitators To obtain remote work computer work with various identities, do the work of Russia or China, and then remedy illegally His salaries to Kim Jong one, authoritarian leader of the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK).

There have been dozens of accusations in the conspiracy, including Americans who have been guilty of hosting computer farms, where they keep dozens of laptops issued for the company in their homes. dear The regime generates revenue between $ 250 million and $ 600 million each year and finances the North Korea illegal nuclear weapons program. The FBI, the State Department and the Department of Justice say thousand DPRK computer workers have been hired for hundreds of Fortune 500 companies in recent years.

In the event that Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong involved, the DOJ claims that he worked in the league with developers in China, including one called “William James”. Judicial records show that authorities believed that James and other John do in the regime are natives of North Korea. Vong allegedly told a FBI agent “William” that he approached him through a mobile phone video game application and told Vong that he could “legally” make money on developing work and then giving William his access credentials to his computer.

According to the DOJ and court documents, Vive allegedly let James and the other unnamed conspirators develop a fraudulent curriculum for him, saying that he had a title of the University of Hawaii, 16 years of experience as a software developer and had previously maintained a secret security authorization. The DOJ said that Vong, who worked in a nail and spa hall, did not have a title or experience in development.

In one of the 13 jobs, someone who identified as Vong allegedly joined an online interview with a senior software developer who recommended that he get his job and took a screenshot during the meeting. The CEO of Virgínia -based company hired him later Successful Final Interview In which Vong allegedly showed his driving license from Maryland and the North -American Passport to confirm his identity, and the company captured Vong for the second time that he contained the documents. (Judicial records show that the authorities believe that these screenshots are two different people, who are supposedly a northern computer worker -he will be raised as Vong, and another who is Maryland’s true Vong that has his license and passport.)

The company established Vong working on a FAA contract that involved an application that monitored flight aviation assets in the United States, according to court records. The software is used by government agencies such as the Department of Defense, the National Security Department and the Secret Service. Virginia company sent Vong a MacBook Pro laptop with administrative rights to download software and the FAA left Vong had a Personal Identity Verification Card to incorporate it into the Government’s facilities and systems, The court records show. Vong allegedly installed a remote access software on the company device so that James and his cohort could use it from China.

Between March and July 2023, the Virginia company paid for Vong more than $ 28,000, while the work was performed by James and other unknown people, the DOJ said. During his time there, someone known as Vong was attended Zoom Job meetings and spoke with their team about their tasks at a daily meeting. As part of his guilty allegation, Vong admitted that Virginia’s work was only one of the 13 different companies that hired him between 2021 and 2024. Various contracts for the United States government, as well as FAA. Vong was fired by Virginia’s company after submitting his information to the Agency for the Counter -Deteligence and Security of Defense for a secret authorization, and he learned that he could have another job.

After being fired, the CEO showed the image of Vong to the senior developer who initially recommended it. The developer told the CEO that the person who called “Vong” in the photo was not the same “Vong” that he had initially interviewed and with the screenshot. Nor was he the person who participated in daily virtual meetings and worked.

Vong declared himself guilty of conspiracy for committing Filferro fraud and faces 20 years in prison. Arrived on the phone, Vong refused to comment.

Told Michael “Barni” Barnhart, Risk Risk’s lead researcher at Dtex Systems Fortune In a statement, the continued efforts of the North -American Police to expose and disturb the operations of North Korea computer workers and the facilitators that allow them are positive advances.

“These allegations are another critical step in frustrating adversary operations,” Barnhart said in the statement. However, Barnhart said that his group has directly observed TI workers trying to obtain other highly sensitive jobs, including authorization positions within the United States Government and third -party contractors for federal agencies.

In addition, in a report published this month, Google’s threat intelligence group revealed The regime is expanding and a DPRK worker at the end of last year operated at least 12 people in Europe and the United States and sought more jobs in European defense and government contractors. Other investigations found false identities of computer workers looking for jobs in Germany and Portugal, according to the latest report.

“Even if these actors are mainly financially motivated, the risk of critical infrastructure is enormous,” said John Hultquist, the lead analyst of the Google Google Intelligence Group. Fortune. “This scheme has spread so widespread that the orientation of these organizations is almost inevitable. Given its connection with intelligence services, this type of access could be a nightmare.”

The FBI Baltimore Office investigates the case.

This story originally presented to Fortune.com