US man helped North Koreans obtain remote IT work: Justice Dept

A Tennessee man was arrested on Thursday for allegedly helping North Koreans obtain remote IT work with US and British companies to raise funds for the country's weapons program, the Justice Department said.

Matthew Knoot, 38, is accused of identity theft, conspiracy to cause the unlawful employment of aliens and other charges and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

According to the Justice Department, the scheme was intended to generate revenue for North Korea's illicit weapons program.

"North Korea has dispatched thousands of highly skilled information technology workers around the world to dupe unwitting businesses and evade international sanctions so that it can continue to fund its dangerous weapons program," US Attorney Henry Leventis said in a statement.

Knoot is accused of deceiving US and British companies into hiring foreign remote IT workers who they believed were US-based.

The freelance IT workers were actually North Korean nationals, based primarily in China and Russia, who were using the stolen identity of a US citizen, the Justice Department said.

Knoot is accused of operating a "laptop farm" at his Nashville residences as part of the deception, it said.

Between July 2022 and August 2023, targeted companies sent laptops to Knoot which enabled the North Korean IT workers to work remotely while appearing to work from Knoot's residences in Nashville.

Knoot was paid a monthly fee for his services, the Justice Department said.