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Charlotte man accused of helping North Korean regime

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CHARLOTTE — A Charlotte man faces a potential of 60-years in federal prison for his alleged his role in a conspiracy, sponsored by the North Korean (DPRK) government to evade sanctions and ultimately funneling millions of dollars to the country. Emanuel Ashtor is accused of helping facilitate a scheme hiring North Korean workers for IT positions in the U.S. for more than 60 different companies.

The scheme involved the hiring of North Korean IT workers and obtaining contracts for remote working jobs around the country using false identification and technology to make it appear workers were located in the U.S.

Ashtor is just one of several people indicted in the ongoing case. Others include a Mexican citizen living in Sweden, another U.S. Citizen from New York, and two North Korean IT workers.

The arrest warrant for Ashtor shows he lives in an upscale apartment in SouthPark. He is accused of conspiracy to damage a protected computer, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to transfer false identification documents.

Ashtor is accused of registering the company Vali Tech Inc. using his name, as well as an unnamed victim’s who the FBI said Ashtor did not have permission to use.

Vali Tech then signed contracts with outside companies to employ North Korean workers using false identification, and even employed a North Korean IT Worker, Jin Sung-Il, using a fake passport with Ashtor’s New York address as his place of residence, according to the indictment. Sung-Il used the name Kelsey Bane on the fake documents.

Law enforcement traced a laptop sent from unwitting third-party companies to Ashtor’s home Wi-Fi in North Carolina and then allowed the Sung-Il to log in remotely.

Despite earning millions of dollars throughout the course of the scheme, the North Korean government kept 90% of the earnings paid to the IT employees, according to court records.


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