The U.S. Department of Justice arrested two people and seized 187 devices to crack down on North Korean notebook farms

On October 13, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of two Americans in an operation targeting North Korean IT personnel who entered U.S. companies under false identities, and the seizure of approximately 187 computer devices. Michael James Bostelle from Pennsylvania and Juan Cecilio Pena Carrillo from Texas were arrested based on an indictment from the Northern District of Ohio Federal Court. Prosecutors allege that the scheme involved over 70 U.S. employers, generating approximately $3 million in revenue for overseas IT personnel. The two are charged with conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to commit identity theft, with Pena additionally charged with aggravated identity theft.

The device seizure operation is part of "Operation Lone Star," coordinated by federal law enforcement in the Northern District of Texas. From September 21 to 25, the FBI executed searches at over 40 suspected "laptop farm" residences in Texas, seizing devices including laptops and keyboards, video, and mouse equipment for remote access. According to the Ohio indictment, domestic accomplices received laptops issued by employers at home and then allowed overseas personnel to control them via remote access software or hardware, making it appear as if they were located in the U.S. and accessing company systems, while the accomplices received salaries and transferred funds overseas.

The indictment mentions cryptocurrency as one of the means for transferring funds overseas. Trey Michael Nolte, a resident of Ohio, is listed as a co-conspirator but has not been charged in this case; the indictment states that in a conversation on July 8, 2024, he described managing transfers between bank accounts and virtual currencies using spreadsheets, subsequently transferring funds to the defendant Sun Sheng Ming;