The Record reported on 13 October that the US Justice Department raided more than 40 homes in Texas between 21 and 25 September. The DOJ said agents seized 187 laptops and other devices. It alleges North Koreans used the homes as laptop farms: a US firm's laptop sits online at a home while a North Korean does the job. The DOJ also indicted and arrested two Americans: Michael James Bostelle, from Pennsylvania, and Juan Cecilio Pena Carrillo, from Texas. The charges are wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. Prosecutors say the pair helped North Koreans earn more than $3 million from about 70 US firms.
The DOJ did not say whether the arrests link to the Texas raids. It gave no reason why Trey Michael Nolte, a US man central to the indictment, was not charged. Prosecutors allege his shell company helped the scheme and sent paychecks back to North Korea.
WebPulse analysis: the control that failed is identity, checked once at hiring. The FBI says North Koreans pay Americans to join interviews, vouch for fake identities and host devices. It also says they hire freelancers in Pakistan, India or Nigeria to do the work for a fraction of the pay. Ask who does the work each week, and where company laptops connect from.