US sanctions North Korean bankers accused of laundering stolen cryptocurrency

WASHINGTON -- The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a group of bankers, financial institutions and others accused of laundering money from cyber crime schemes — money the Treasury Department says helps pay for North Korea's nuclear weapons program . Over the past three years, North Korean malware and social engineering schemes have diverted more than $3 billion, mostly in digital assets, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said, noting the sum is unmatched by any other foreign actor. An international report documented the scope of the problem in a 138-page report published last month . “North Korean state-sponsored hackers steal and launder money to fund the regime’s nuclear weapons program,” said Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K.