Ukrainian Gets 5 Years in US Prison for Aiding North Korean IT Fraud

Oleksandr Didenko sold the stolen identities of US citizens, allowing North Koreans to get hired using freelance work platforms.

A Ukrainian national was sentenced to five years in a US prison for selling stolen identities to fraudulent North Korean workers and for facilitating the operation of laptop farms.

The man, Oleksandr Didenko, 29, of Kyiv, Ukraine, also known as Alexander Didenko, pleaded guilty in a US court in November 2025 to helping North Korean IT workers obtain employment at US companies.

According to documents presented in court, Didenko operated the Upworksell.com domain, allowing overseas IT workers to buy or rent the stolen identities of US citizens.

Using these identities, IT workers obtained employment using online freelance work platforms in California and Pennsylvania, which allowed them to create free accounts, advertise themselves, and bid on IT work contracts.

The court documents also allege that Didenko paid individuals in the US ...