US wants $7.7M in crypto laundered in North Korea IT worker plot

The Justice Department has filed a civil forfeiture complaint to seize crypto and NFTs allegedly tied to laundering efforts by North Korea.

The US Department of Justice has moved to seize $7.74 million in crypto allegedly earned by North Korean IT workers using fake identities and working at blockchain firms as remote contractors.  

The funds were initially frozen in April 2023 as part of an indictment against Sim Hyon Sop, a China-based banker allegedly helping North Korean IT workers launder money, the DOJ said in a June 5 statement.

The Justice Department is looking to seize multiple cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins and Bitcoin (BTC) in varying amounts, along with non-fungible tokens and Ethereum Name Service domains that are held in multiple self-custody wallets and Binance accounts, according to its civil forfeiture complaint filed June 5 in a Washington, DC federal court.

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