A US federal court has indicted 14 North Korean nationals for an elaborate scheme involving IT workers to earn money illegally. The US Department of Justice said the money is being funneled to Pyongyang to help finance its weapons programs.

The 14 defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. The indictment alleges they used false identities to get remote IT jobs with American companies.

The scheme is believed to have generated at least 88 million dollars in illicit revenue over a period of six years.
They are accused of sending that money back to North Korea, in violation of US sanctions.

The indictment also alleges that, in some cases, defendants extorted payments from their US employer by threatening to release sensitive information.

The 14 allegedly worked for two North Korean-controlled companies, previously sanctioned by the US, and based in China and Russia.

The companies reportedly retained at least 130 IT workers from North Korea.

Arrest warrants have been issued for all 14 individuals.
The Department of State has offered a $5 million reward for information about the conspiracy.

FBI Special Agent in charge, Ashley Johnson, has warned it's "just the tip of the iceberg."

She said: "The government of North Korea has trained and deployed thousands of IT workers to perpetrate this same scheme against US companies every day."