An Arizona-based freelance professional, Christina Marie Chapman, who boasts a significant online presence with over 100,000 followers on TikTok, has received a sentence of eight and a half years in federal prison for her involvement in a scheme to place North Korean workers in jobs at American companies using deceptive identities.
A court operating in Washington, D.C., delivered a guilty verdict against her on charges that included conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering.
In addition to her imprisonment, Chapman will be subject to three years of supervised release, must relinquish more than $284,000 in assets, and is ordered to provide restitution totaling $176,850.
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Roman Rozhavsky, the FBI’s Assistant Director for Counterintelligence, stated in a statement released on July 24 that Chapman held a critical position in a scheme that generated approximately $17 million, with proceeds used to support North Korea’s weapons program. He further commented:
Even a nation with the advanced sophistication of North Korea is vulnerable without the cooperation of American citizens like Christina Chapman.
Beginning in 2020, Chapman collaborated with North Korean operatives to secure remote employment opportunities in the U.S. for IT professionals located overseas.
In order to simulate a U.S.-based physical presence for these workers, she orchestrated a “laptop farm” from her private residence. Dozens of company-provided laptops were linked to the internet, enabling remote logins without detection.
Authorities later recovered over 90 computers from her property. Additionally, Chapman shipped 49 devices to international destinations, with several being sent to a city proximate to North Korea’s border.
Chapman channeled the funds through her personal bank accounts. She also assisted in the submission of tax forms and Social Security documentation using the identities of individuals whose personal information was compromised.
On July 16, Paul Chowles, a former official with the UK’s National Crime Agency, was sentenced to 5.5 years for the theft of 50
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