Fourteen North Koreans have been charged with fraud in the US over an alleged long-running conspiracy.

Summary

A U.S. federal court has indicted 14 North Koreans for allegedly running a scheme where thousands of North Korean IT workers used stolen identities to secure remote jobs with U.S. companies, generating $88 million over six years for Pyongyang’s weapons programs.

Workers, dubbed “IT Warriors,” were employed by North Korean-controlled firms in China and Russia and also extorted U.S. firms by stealing sensitive data.

The suspects remain in North Korea, but the U.S. is offering a $5 million reward for information.

Officials warn this is part of a broader, ongoing operation.