Treasury sanctions 10 people and one company, including two Russian money handlers, for running and laundering North Korean IT worker earnings from Russia
OFAC designated Russian nationals Vitold Obertas, who it says converted nearly $2 million in crypto and at least $1.25 million in other currency for DPRK officials since Jan 2025, including for the already-sanctioned Amnokgang, and Ilya Boykov, who it says moved about $3.5 million in crypto for the sanctioned company Alis since 2024. It also named Kim Ki Hyok and Kim Hyo Dong, who lead Russia-based IT worker delegations, the First Financial and Technical Development Center, which Treasury says helped workers use AI to get hired, and six of its IT workers.
For defenders: the SDN entries list ETH and TRX wallet addresses, so finance and crypto compliance teams can screen against them. HR and security teams should keep up identity checks on remote hires, such as live video verification and shipping laptops only to verified addresses.
Sources: U.S. Treasury: Treasury Sanctions Facilitators of DPRK IT Worker Fraud Targeting U.S. Businesses (Oct 28) · OFAC recent actions: North Korea designations (Oct 28)