Ukrainian Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for North Korean Remote Work Scheme

Key Findings

Oleksandr Didenko, a 29-year-old Ukrainian national, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for his role in a scheme to help North Korean IT workers gain remote employment at U.S. companies using stolen identities.
Didenko created over 2,500 fraudulent accounts on job platforms, money transmitters, and social media to sell the stolen identities to North Korean operatives.
He managed up to 871 identities through laptop farms in the U.S. and facilitated North Korean workers gaining employment at 40 U.S. companies.
The scheme funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars earned by the North Korean workers back to the hostile regime.

Didenko ran a website called "upworksell.com" to advertise and sell the stolen identities and associated services.
He worked with co-conspirators to set up laptop farms in Virginia, Tennessee, and California to host the fraudulent accounts.
In late 2023, Didenko sent a computer to a laptop farm run by an accomplice in Arizona, who was later arrested and sentenced to over 8 years in prison.
Didenko was arrested in Poland in late 2024 and extradited to the U.S., where he pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and identity theft charges.

The scheme allowed North Korean IT workers to infiltrate 40 U.S. companies, stealing information, intellectual property, and data that could be harmful.
The salaries earned by the North Korean workers were funneled back to the regime, helping to finance its illicit nuclear and weapons programs.
U.S. authorities have warned that North Korea poses a national security threat by using such tactics to infiltrate American businesses.

Didenko was ordered to forfeit over $1.4 million, including cash and cryptocurrency, as part of his sentencing.
This case highlights the ongoing efforts by North Korea to exploit vulnerabilities and use deception to generate revenue for its hostile regime.
Law enforcement continues to target facilitators like Didenko to disrupt these schemes, but the threat remains persistent.

https://cyberscoop.com/doj-ukrainian-north-korea-remote-worker-scheme-facilitator-sentenced/
https://securityaffairs.com/188305/cyber-crime/north-korean-it-worker-scam-nets-ukrainian-five-year-sentence-in-the-u-s.html
https://thehackernews.com/2026/02/ukrainian-national-sentenced-to-5-years.html
https://www.socdefenders.ai/item/62cfea0e-d766-4019-b1a8-16c60dfe3ffa
https://x.com/shah_sheikh/status/2024621012717916516
http://www.news4hackers.com/ukrainian-sentenced-to-5-years-in-prison-for-north-korean-remote-work-scheme-facilitation/
http://www.news4hackers.com/ukrainian-man-sentenced-to-5-years-for-north-korean-remote-work-scheme-facilitation/