WASHINGTON, D.C. (WRIC) — A North Korean Foreign Trade Bank representative has been charged with money laundering in connection schemes intended to generate revenue for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea using money that was illegally obtained.
According to court documents, 39-year-old Sim Hyon Sop allegedly conspired with over-the-counter cryptocurrency traders to launder money stolen from virtual currency exchanges through cyberattacks before using the laundered money to buy goods on behalf of the North Korean government.
Sim is also accused of conspiring with several North Korean IT workers, who became employed by American blockchain development companies using fake identities and were paid in various forms of cryptocurrency, which they funneled back to North Korea through Sim.
Sim is facing two charges of conspiring to launder monetary instruments, each of which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
