Justice Department moves to confiscate $7.7 million of allegedly stolen crypto as North Korean IT workers infiltrate U.S. companies 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) wants to confiscate $7.7 million worth of cryptocurrency seized in connection with an alleged scheme to launder money on behalf of the North Korean government.

The DOJ filed a civil forfeiture complaint—a type of civil lawsuit in which the government tries to seize property that it says is linked to criminal activities—on Thursday. The complaint alleges that “North Korean IT workers obtained illegal employment and amassed millions in cryptocurrency for the benefit of the North Korean government,” the agency said.

The millions of dollars worth of crypto were initially frozen in connection to an April 2023 indictment against a man named Sim Hyon Sop, the DOJ said. In that indictment, the government alleged that Sim, a North Korean Foreign Trade Bank rep