Due to his involvement in North Korea's fraudulent information technology (IT) worker scheme, a 29-year-old Ukrainian national was given a five-year prison sentence in the United States This article explores didenko arrested polish. . Oleksandr "Alexander" Didenko entered a guilty plea in November 2025 to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.

He had stolen the identities of American citizens and sold them to IT workers so they could get regular salaries and jobs at 40 American companies. The money was then sent back to the regime to fund its weapons programs. In addition to being ordered to serve 12 months of supervised release and pay $46,547.28 in restitution, Didenko was arrested by Polish authorities in late 2024 and subsequently extradited to the United States.

Didenko also consented to forfeit over $1.4 million last year, which includes approximately $181,438 in cryptocurrency and US dollars that were taken from him and his accomplices. Since the beginning of 2021, the defendant is alleged to have operated a website called Upworksell[. ]com to assist foreign IT workers in purchasing or renting stolen or borrowed identities.

These identities were exploited by the IT professionals to apply for jobs on Pennsylvania and California-based freelance work platforms. On May 16, 2024, authorities took possession of the site. Furthermore, Didenko compensated Americans to accept and host laptops at their homes in California, Tennessee, and Virginia.

The intention was to make it appear as though the workers were in the nation, but in fact, they were connecting remotely from places like China, where they had been sent. Didenko oversaw up to 871 proxy identities and helped at least three laptop farms in the United States run as part of the illegal scheme. Christina Marie Chapman's laptop farm in Arizona received one of the computers.

For his involvement in the scheme, Chapman was arrested in May 2024 and given a 102-month prison sentence in July 2025. Additionally, he made it possible for his North Korean clients to use Money Service Transmitters to access the American financial system rather than opening an account at a U.S. bank.

Employment income was transferred to foreign bank accounts using these money transfer services. According to officials, Didenko's clients received hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation for their labor. According to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, "Defendant Didenko's scheme funneled money from Americans and U.S. businesses, into the coffers of North Korea, a hostile regime."

"Today, North Korea is an enemy within, not just a distant threat to the homeland." "North Korean actors are infiltrating American companies using fraudulent and stolen identities, stealing data, licenses, and information that is detrimental to any business.

Furthermore, funds paid to these alleged workers are used directly for North Korean munitions projects. The conspiracy in the Hermit Kingdom is still going strong despite ongoing law enforcement efforts. If anything, the operation has developed new strategies and methods to avoid being discovered.