🤑 Crypto Capers: Arizona Gal Lands in Hot Water Over North Korean Shenanigans! 🕵️‍♀️

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Well, I say, old bean, here’s a bit of a rum go! A lady from the sun-soaked lands of Arizona has found herself in a spot of bother, what? Sentenced to a jolly eight years in the cooler for mucking about with North Korean chappies in a crypto job scam. Dash it all, who’d have thought it? 🤯

According to the eggheads at the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Christina Marie Chapman—a sprightly 50-year-old—was up to her neck in a scheme that had North Korean sorts wangling their way into remote gigs at Yank tech and crypto firms. Blighter raked in a cool $17 million, splitting the spoils with the chaps in Pyongyang. Talk about a bit of a lark gone wrong! 💼🔥

Laptop Farm and Whatnot: A Right Old Carry-On

Chapman, you see, was in cahoots with these North Korean coves, doling out stolen identities like party favors. Between 2020 and 2023, they applied for IT jobs at 309 Yank companies and a couple of international ones, too. Bold as brass, they were, flashing fake docs to the Department of Homeland Security and whatnot. 🧑‍💻✉️

She even ran a “laptop farm” at her gaff, old girl did, hosting devices to make it look like these chaps were logging in from the good ol’ US of A. Authorities nabbed 90 laptops from her place, and she’d shipped off 49 to spots near North Korea. What a to-do! 🏠💻

And let’s not forget the money laundering caper. Chapman was funneling funds through her own accounts, cashing forged checks under pilfered names. Some of it went overseas, while the rest was reported to the IRS under the noses of unsuspecting Yanks. Sixty-eight poor souls had their identities pinched, leading to a proper muddle of legal and tax troubles. Judge Moss gave her 102 months in the slammer, three years of supervised release, and a hefty fine. Serve her right, I say! ⚖️💸

Broader Tomfoolery and National Security Nonsense

The Department of Justice called this one of the biggest North Korean IT infiltration capers yet. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro chimed in, warning that Pyongyang’s antics are now knocking on corporate America’s door. Pirro urged firms to keep a sharper eye on remote hires, lest they fall prey to such shenanigans. 🕵️‍♀️🚨

Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti labeled Chapman a “critical enabler” for North Korea’s schemes, which, by the by, are said to fund their nuclear jiggery-pokery. The FBI and IRS reckon this fraud wasn’t just about the dough—it was about bolstering Kim Jong-Un’s warhead ambitions. Blimey! 💣💰

FBI Phoenix has since issued a how-to for HR types to spot these fraudulent remote workers. Meanwhile, a UN report estimates North Korean IT bods rake in $250 million to $600 million a year from such dodgy dealings. What a world, eh? 🌍📈

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2025-07-26 09:16