Imagine landing a job at a Fortune 500 company—only it’s not you.
It’s a North Korean agent, using your identity, hired through a laptop farm in suburban Arizona.
Sounds like a spy thriller? It was real—and Christina Chapman was at the center of it.
The 50-year-old has just been sentenced to over eight years in prison.
She helped North Koreans pose as American workers using stolen identities.
Her high-tech hustle fooled 309 companies and raked in $17 million.
According to US officials, it helped bankroll North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
“She didn’t just steal identities—she handed them to our enemies,” said US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “It’s a threat to Main Street in every sense of the word.”
What Did She Actually Do?
Chapman ran secret “laptop farms” from her homes in Arizona and Minnesota, even hiring assistants to keep up with demand.
She claimed ignorance about her clients’ true identities—but authorities aren’t buying it.
She mailed equipment to China, Pakistan, the UAE, and Nigeria—sending 35 packages alone to a Chinese city bordering North Korea.
Despite pleading guilty, prosecutors say Chapman still doesn’t grasp the damage done.
“Even an adversary as sophisticated as North Korea,” the FBI warned, “can’t succeed without help from people like Chapman.”
In this case, the threat wasn’t overseas—it was logged in from the living room.
