Ukrainian Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for North Korean Remote Work Scheme Facilitation
Ukrainian National Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Scheme to Help North Korean Workers
A Ukrainian national has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a scheme to help North Korean workers gain employment at US companies using stolen identities.
The Scheme
The individual, Oleksandr Didenko, created over 2,500 fake accounts on freelance job forums, money service transmitters, and social media platforms, using stolen US citizens’ identities. He then sold these proxy identities to North Korean workers, who used them to gain employment at 40 US companies.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Didenko, 29, pleaded guilty to multiple crimes related to the six-year scheme in November 2025. He was also ordered to forfeit over $1.4 million and pay almost $47,000 in restitution.
According to court records, Didenko ran a website, upworksell.com, to sell the stolen identities and paid co-conspirators to host laptop farms in several US states. He managed up to 871 identities through these laptop farms, which were used to facilitate the employment of North Korean technical workers.
Threat to National Security
US Attorney Jeanine Pirro stated that Didenko’s actions funneled money from Americans and US businesses into the coffers of North Korea’s hostile regime. She noted that the scheme not only posed a financial threat but also a threat to national security.
Pirro explained that the money paid to the North Korean workers, who were using stolen US identities, was used to fund munitions programs in North Korea. She emphasized that this was not just a financial crime, but a crime against national security.
Investigation and Arrest
The scheme was uncovered in late 2023, when Didenko sent a computer to a laptop farm run by Christina Chapman in Arizona. Chapman was arrested in May 2024 and sentenced to 102 months in prison for her role in the scheme.
Didenko’s website was seized following Chapman’s arrest, and he was later arrested by Polish police and extradited to the US.
Ongoing Threat
The case highlights the ongoing threat posed by North Korean operatives, who have infiltrated many top global companies. Researchers continue to uncover evidence of new tactics and techniques used by these operatives to evade detection.
US law enforcement has had some success in seizing stolen cryptocurrency and targeting US-based facilitators who provide forged or stolen identities for North Korean operatives. However, the regime’s scheme is believed to run deep, and officials warn that it remains a significant threat to national security.
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