US Charges Two in $3M North Korean IT Laptop Farm Scheme

Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Ohio indicted Michael James Bostelle and Juan Cecilio Pena Carrillo for their roles in a sophisticated scheme involving wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. The defendants allegedly accepted employer-issued laptops at their homes, configuring them for remote access so overseas workers could appear to be operating from the United States. This deception allowed the foreign workers to collect salaries while bypassing corporate security protocols.

Operation Lonestar Roundup

To facilitate the scheme, domestic participants managed the hardware and financial accounts required to sustain the ruse. Digital evidence indicates that cryptocurrency transfers played a central role in moving employment earnings to North Korean handlers. As part of a coordinated enforcement effort, the FBI raided more than 40 residences in Texas between September 21 and 25, seizing 187 laptops and peripheral devices. Beyond the $3 million in stolen wages, affected U.S. firms face significant financial burdens from internal network repairs and legal costs. While the government identifies Ohio resident Trey Michael Nolte as a key recruiter for the network, he remains uncharged in the current indictment. U.S. Attorney David M. Toepfer warned that this case serves as a critical alert for companies to heighten their scrutiny of remote hiring practices, as the FBI reports that North Korean actors are increasingly leveraging financial pressure to recruit domestic facilitators.