FBI searches 40 Texas 'laptop farms' in North Korean remote IT worker crackdown

The Justice Department on Oct. 13 announced arrests, an indictment and a wave of FBI searches aimed at what officials describe as North Korea's practice of earning money through remote technology jobs at US companies.

According to the department, FBI agents searched more than 40 Texas homes suspected of being "laptop farms" from Sept. 21 to 25, in an effort called Operation Lonestar Roundup. Agents seized about 187 laptops and keyboard-video-mouse switching devices.

The Ohio indictment

A four-count indictment in the Northern District of Ohio charges wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft. The department said:

| Item | Detail | |---|---| | Arrested | Michael James Bostelle (Pennsylvania), Juan Cecilio Pena Carrillo (Texas) | | Also charged | 10 people based in China; two more defendants under seal | | Period | 2019 to about July 2025 | | Employers affected | More than 70 | | Revenue | About $3 million |

Prosecutors allege that workers posed as Americans using stolen or fabricated identities, while US-based helpers kept company-issued laptops at their homes and sent earnings to accounts controlled by North Korea.

Reuters reported that the indictment names, but does not charge, another American who allegedly recruited and trained Bostelle and others. Attorneys for the two arrested men could not be reached for comment, Reuters said.

Advice for employers

The department listed 11 fraudulent Gmail accounts it said were used in the schemes and urged companies to add them to their screening. The FBI also issued a public service announcement with guidance. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent.