A US-based man is facing decades of jail time for allegedly working with China-based foreign nationals to fraudulently obtain remote IT jobs with American companies. The Department of Justice (DoJ) claims that the 40-year-old Maryland resident, Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong, secured remote IT jobs with at least 13 US companies between 2021 and 2024 in a scheme where he received over $970,000 in salary for software development tasks. The DoJ alleged that these tasks were actually performed by operatives in Shenyang, China, who are said to be North Korean. The China-based developers then used these company IT jobs to gain access to sensitive US government systems from overseas. Some of these jobs involved contracting out software services to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
The DoJ has also claimed that this scheme is part of a larger fraud operation. As per the agency, trained North Korean nationals collaborate with American facilitators to fraudulently obtain remote IT jobs under various identities in this operation. The DoJ also stated that the work is conducted from Russia or China, and the illegally obtained salaries are then remitted to Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea.
In this case, several Americans have also been indicted for running “computer farms,” where company-issued laptops were hosted domestically for a fee to mask North Korean involvement. The UN estimates the scheme brings in $250–$600 million annually, funding North Korea’s illicit nuclear program. US authorities even claimed that thousands of DPRK IT workers have been placed in hundreds of Fortune 500 companies in recent years.
What US DoJ said about Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong
During the trial, Vong admitted plotting with China- and North Korea-linked developers to fraudulently land IT contracts at US companies. Posing as a seasoned software engineer, he submitted a fake résume—claiming a University of Hawaii degree, 16 years’ experience, and secret-clearance credentials—and secured roles at 13 firms, including a Virginia contractor on an FAA project used by multiple federal agencies. According to the DOJ, Vong—who was employed at a nail and spa salon—possessed neither a degree nor any development experience.
Vong received a company-issued MacBook Pro and PIV card, then installed remote-access software so his overseas co-conspirators could do the work; between March and July 2023 alone, he was paid over $28,000. He has pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy and faces up to 20 years in prison.
