US Sanctions Two Russians Over North Korean IT Workers’ Crypto Cash-Outs

The US Treasury has sanctioned 10 individuals and one entity for allegedly helping North Korean IT workers earn money through fraudulent employment at legitimate businesses and convert cryptocurrency into cash. The action targeted financial intermediaries in a network that generates hundreds of millions of dollars annually for Pyongyang. According to a report by Chainalysis, Russian nationals Ilya Aleksandrovich Boykov and Vitold Viktorovich Obertas converted millions of dollars in crypto for front companies that placed North Korean IT workers at businesses under false identities. The workers’ earnings ultimately helped fund the North Korean regime and its weapons programs.