The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 10 people and one entity on October 28, 2026, over what it described as North Korean IT worker schemes that defraud U.S. businesses and raise money for the country’s weapons programs. Treasury said the schemes use false identities to place workers at legitimate companies and take most of their wages.
Among those sanctioned were Russian nationals Vitold Obertas and Ilya Boykov. Treasury said Obertas had carried out nearly $2 million in cryptocurrency conversions since January 2025, while Boykov had exchanged or converted the equivalent of $3.5 million since 2024 for a previously sanctioned North Korean IT worker company. The sanctions listings include Ethereum and Tron addresses for both men, with one Ethereum address appearing on both entries.
