A Ukrainian citizen has been sentenced to a five-year prison term in the United States for his involvement in aiding fraudulent activities conducted by North Korean IT professionals. The individual, identified as Oleksandr Didenko, was implicated in a scheme that included selling stolen identities and facilitating operations for IT workers from North Korea.
Fraudulent Activities Uncovered
Oleksandr Didenko, a 29-year-old from Kyiv, Ukraine, confessed to the charges in a US court in November 2025. His admission included aiding North Korean IT workers to secure employment at American companies through deceitful means. The court documents detailed how Didenko ran the domain Upworksell.com, which was instrumental in providing or renting stolen US identities to foreign IT workers.
These workers exploited these identities to gain employment on various freelance platforms based in California and Pennsylvania. The platforms allowed them to set up profiles, market their skills, and compete for IT contracts without being physically present in the United States.
Operation of Laptop Farms
Further investigations revealed that Didenko orchestrated the establishment of ‘laptop farms’ in multiple US states, including Virginia, Tennessee, and California. He allegedly managed 871 proxy identities and facilitated at least three such farms. These activities allowed foreign individuals to interact with the US financial system, transferring their earnings to international bank accounts without direct access to US banking facilities.
Court documents indicated that Didenko’s clients overseas earned substantial amounts, possibly reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars, from their engagements with over 40 different US companies.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
The domain Upworksell.com was seized on May 16, 2024, leading to Didenko’s arrest in Poland. He was later extradited to the United States on December 31, 2024. In November 2025, he pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to surrender more than $1.4 million.
Didenko received a 60-month prison sentence, followed by a 12-month supervised release. Additionally, he was ordered to pay restitution exceeding $46,000. The case highlights significant vulnerabilities in online freelance platforms and the risks of identity theft in the digital age.
Related cases include a Romanian hacker pleading guilty to selling access to US State networks and other individuals admitting to assisting North Korean IT workers.
