The Justice Department has announced the indictment of five individuals in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain remote IT work from U.S. companies, allegedly generating revenue for North Korea. The indicted individuals include North Korean nationals Jin Sung-Il and Pak Jin-Song, Mexican national Pedro Ernesto Alonso De Los Reyes, and U.S. nationals Erick Ntekereze Prince and Emanuel Ashtor.
Michael S. Davis, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, stated, "This indictment reflects the Southern District of Florida’s commitment to disrupting North Korea’s attempts to generate revenue through intricate schemes that victimize U.S. companies and threaten our national security."
Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, commented on the ongoing efforts to counter such activities: "The DPRK continues its efforts to evade sanctions to fund the regime’s priorities."
According to the indictment, from April 2018 through August 2024, the defendants and their co-conspirators secured work from at least sixty-four U.S. companies, generating $866,255 in revenue from ten of those firms. This money was allegedly laundered through a Chinese bank account.
The scheme involved North Korean IT workers posing as freelance employees using pseudonymous accounts and false documents to bypass sanctions and obtain employment with U.S. firms. Assistant Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division emphasized the risk posed by these operations: "The indictments announced today should highlight to all American companies the risk posed by the North Korean government."
Jin Sung-Il and Pak Jin-Song face charges including conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act alongside other charges like conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.
The investigation is part of a broader initiative known as “DPRK RevGen: Domestic Enabler Initiative,” launched in March 2024 by various divisions within the Department of Justice and FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Stratton and Sean Cronin are leading the prosecution with assistance from other officials within various sections of the National Security Division.
An indictment is an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Court documents related to this case can be accessed on relevant judicial websites under case number 25-cr-20021.