At least some of the workers are described as North Korean nationals in the indictment. Some of these IT workers work closely with North Korean hackers, who are also a rich source of revenue for the regime, according to experts. A previous CNN investigation found that the founder of a California-based cryptocurrency startup had unwittingly paid tens of thousands of dollars to a North Korean engineer. And North Korean illustrators and graphic designers appear to have helped produce work for US animation studios unbeknownst to those companies, independent researchers told CNN last month. The researchers discovered a trove of cartoon sketches on an open computer server on the North Korean portion of the internet.

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Persons: Christina Chapman, Chapman, ” Organizations: CNN, Court, District of Columbia, North Korean, State Department, cyberattacks, White Locations: Arizona, Valley, Pyongyang, Korean, California, North Korean