Arizona woman sentenced to eight years in prison for hosting ‘laptop farm' for North Korean remote workers
These North Korean nationals used stolen identities of real U.S. citizens in carrying out the scheme.
While the companies impacted by Chapman's actions have not been named, those that inadvertently hired North Koreans included a car-maker, Silicon Valley tech company, a U.S. media group and an aerospace group, among other Fortune 500 companies.
'The call is coming from inside the house,' Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said in a statement Thursday. 'If this happened to these big banks, to these Fortune 500, brand-name, quintessential American companies, it can or is happening at your company. Corporations failing to verify virtual employees pose a security risk for all.'
The sentencing of Chapman came a month after the Justice Department announced the seizure of hundreds of accounts, websites and laptops linked to the widespread North Korean IT workers scheme. Chapman is not the only U.S. citizen to host laptop farms to support the effort, and the DOJ found that individuals in China and the United Arab Emirates were also involved in supporting these schemes.
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Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chris Christie says deputy AG interviewing Maxwell was ‘highly unusual' and blasts Blanche for going alone
Chris Christie drew on his experience as a federal prosecutor Sunday as he questioned the seriousness of the Justice Department's sudden interest in Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice and girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein. Once considered by Trump as a potential candidate to serve as attorney general during his first presidency, Christie told ABC News' This Week that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche's direct involvement in interviewing Maxwell over the course of nine hours Thursday and Friday of last week was 'highly unusual.' He questioned whether Blanche, formerly a personal attorney for the president and a Trump loyalist, could be trusted to accurately convey what Maxwell said during their conversation. 'I have never seen this done, ever,' Christie said. 'The Deputy Attorney General runs the Department of Justice, they don't interview witnesses.' ' interviewing a witness, you bring at least one agent with you, if not two, so there are a number of people taking notes and there are witnesses there. We've heard nothing about whether Todd Blanche brought anyone with him to verify whatever he's going to report back, as a third independent source. This is highly unusual.' Christie also asserted that it wasn't clear whether Blanche had aides or other federal attorneys with him for the conversation with Maxwell, or whether the Trump administration was truly interested in pursuing charges against potential co-conspirators named by sex offender Maxwell. 'For building a case-- building a case for what? And against who? She's in jail for 20 years, and her co-conspirator is dead. So what exactly are they doing?' The Independent reached out to the Department of Justice for comment and clarification on whether Blanche met with Maxwell alone. Blanche has not commented publicly on the matter since Thursday, when he tweeted following his first meeting with Maxwell: 'Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell, and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow. The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time.' Some have called Maxwell to testify publicly and suggested she could be given a pardon for sharing what she knows about the Epstein case. Donald Trump has denied that he is considering it. Maxwell was convicted of sexual abuse against minors and sex trafficking after Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting a trial on similar charges. The House Oversight Committee voted this week to issue a subpoena for Maxwell after the Justice Department announced its own plans to speak with her. Speculation about Epstein's death and the so-called 'Client List' of his co-conspirators erupted in early July. The Justice Department and FBI published a joint memo explaining that future releases from the files would not take place, and that the list of Epstein's accomplices was not found. Epstein was rumored to have cultivated personal relationships with many powerful men. Critics of the president have alleged that a cover-up is in the works regarding the Epstein files. Democrats have hammered the president for his administration's reversal on releasing files from the investigation. A pair of scoops this month from the Wall Street Journal reported on the president's connections to Epstein, driving the accusations of the president's involvement in a cover-up into a frenzy. The newspaper reported the contents of a message allegedly penned by Trump to Epstein as part of a 50th birthday celebration in 2003, including allusions to a shared 'secret' between them. Trump firmly denied authoring the note, and sued the Journal and its reporters in response. A second article from the Journal days later reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Trump in May that he was mentioned in the Epstein investigation multiple times, but it was not clear in what context. The White House called that story 'fake' and has repeatedly insinuated that Democrats including Joe Biden tampered with evidence while Trump was out of office. Being mentioned in the files does not guarantee wrongdoing, and hundreds of names are reportedly included. The White House responded to the growing uproar almost immediately with attempts to divert the focus of the president's MAGA base. On social media, Trump leveled threats against Rosie O'Donnell while his intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, released a memo accusing former President Barack Obama and his team of altering the conclusions of intelligence assessments concerning Russian election interference in 2016. The latter issue has become the president's weapon of choice for parrying questions about the Epstein issue, after he and Gabbard accused the former president of treason and attempting a 'coup' — a telling charge given Trump's involvement in the January 6 attack on the Capitol and the Biden Justice Department's attempt to prosecute him for trying to illegally overturn the 2020 election. "People should really focus on how well the country is doing, or they should focus on the fact that Barack Hussein Obama led a coup,' Trump told a reporter on Friday when questioned about Blanche's marathon meeting with Maxwell.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Trump announces U.S. deal with European Union to impose 15% tariff
U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the media while playing golf at Turnberry Golf Club in Scotland on Sunday. He later met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo July 27 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Sunday announced 15% tariffs on most foreign goods from the European Union, down from the threatened 30%, as part of a trade agreement with the 27-nation bloc. Trump announced the deal at his Turnberry Isle Country Club in Scotland after his public session with European Commission President von der Leyen. Trump said the European Union won't impose new tariffs on U.S. imports. During the meeting with the media, both leaders said the chance of a deal was 50-50. "You are known as a tough negotiator and dealmaker," von der Leyen told Trump, with reporters on hand. Leyen said the agreement "will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic." Trump said the deal was "satisfactory to both sides." The European Union is the largest U.S. trading partner with $605 billion in goods yearly. The products are mainly drugs and pharmaceuticals, primarily from Ireland, as well as aircraft and heavy machinery, mainly from France and Germany. The 50% tariffs on steel, like most other nations, would remain and more duties could happen for pharmaceutical products, as well as semiconductors. Trump has also threatened a 200% tariffs on any drugs imported to the U.S. Trump said the deal would be "great for cars" and agriculture. Trump has previously noted that few American cars are sold in Europe. On April 2, he said he would impose a 20% duty against the EU, with most trading nations imposed a baseline 10%. He paused the retaliatory tariffs on April 9 for 90 days. In a letter to EU nations on July 12, the U.S. president threatened 30% retaliatory tariffs to take effect on Aug. 1. "Imposing 30% tariffs on E.U. exports would disrupt essential transatlantic supply chains, to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic," von der Leyen said after Trump's letter. Letters to other nations have threatened tariffs as high as 50%, including to Brazil. The Trump administration has been negotiating with other nations, including reaching deals with China (30%), Japan (15%), Indonesia (19%) and Vietnam (20%). Britain, which is not part of the European Union, has a reduction in some tariffs of 10% on up to 100,000 vehicles and 25% on steel and aluminum. Last year, the average U.S. tariffs on imports from the EU was 1.2%, according to Capital Economics' chief Europe economist. The deal with the European Union is part of a broader trade agreement. EU had a $58.7 billion overall trade surplus with the U.S. in 2024. For goods, it was $168.6 billion but the deficit was $126 billion in services trade. "The European Union is going to agree to purchase from the United States $750 billion worth of energy," Trump said. The E.U. would also invest $600 billion into the United States. In 2024, the bloc bought nearly $400 billion in goods. Michael Brown, a senior research strategist at British-based Pepperstone brokerage, told The New York Times that U.S. defense companies likely will emerge as winners from the deal.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
GOP lawmakers at odds as Epstein fallout continues
Division between Republican lawmakers over the Jeffrey Epstein files continued to intensify even as President Donald Trump and his administration seeks to redirect scrutiny toward the president's political foes and the 2016 election. Signs of mounting pressure to respond to calls for transparency appeared last week when a GOP-majority House Oversight subcommittee voted to subpoena the Department of Justice for files related to Epstein. House Oversight Chair James Comer has also subpoenaed Epstein's accomplice and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, for a deposition. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence in Tallahassee, Florida, for sex trafficking of minors also met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday and Friday for questioning. Those developments come as some Republicans question the DOJ's handling of the files and others urge the administration to share unreleased information with the public. Missouri Republican Rep. Eric Burlison on Sunday called it a 'political mistake' for the administration to have raised expectations about new revelations related to Epstein. 'I think that part of this problem is that there were some false expectations that are created, and that's, that's a political mistake,' Burlison told CNN's Manu Raju. 'I think that saying that you're going to be able to deliver when you haven't even looked at all of the files and what's available was probably a misstep.' Burlison has also said that a large percentage of the calls his office has received in recent days are related to the Epstein case, with many concerned the government might be keeping secrets from them. Now that House lawmakers are back in their districts for August recess, they'll likely be fielding questions about this directly from constituents. On Friday, another GOP representative, Mike Kennedy of Utah, who is a practicing physician, compared the files to 'a festering oil-infected wound with pus underneath' that could get worse if not treated properly. 'In the case of this Epstein stuff, absolutely let it out,' he said. Kennedy pledged to push for 'full transparency' in the matter and that he would 'vote immediately to get all that released,' permitted that the identities of victims are concealed. GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna are trying to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a separate bill calling for the release of the files. Massie, a Kentucky lawmaker who broke with Trump over the president's sweeping agenda bill, will need a majority of House members to sign on to their discharge petition to force a floor vote. For his part, Johnson has repeatedly said he supports transparency. On Sunday, the Louisiana Republican defended his handling of the efforts to release Epstein-related information as he faces a split conference. 'Let me be absolutely clear. As we have been from the very beginning, House Republicans insist upon the release of all credible evidence and information related to Epstein in any way,' he said Sunday on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Massie and Khanna's petition, he insisted, was 'reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented,' arguing that it did not include adequate protections for victims. He also pushed back on claims he adjourned the House early for August recess to avoid the petition, pointing out the petition would not 'ripen' until Friday when the House was already scheduled to be out. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday that Congress does not have the ability to force the release of the files, and that judges have to decide to release grand jury evidence, pointing toward a Florida federal judge declining to release additional grand jury documents last week. '(Attorney General) Pam Bondi has called on the judges to release it. Trump has called on them to release it, and Congress has called on them to release it. But we can't, because there is a true co-equal branch of government so we can't force a judicial branch to do anything,' he said. The grand jury testimony the department seeks to release, however, is only a small portion of the thousands of documents related to the Epstein investigation and criminal case. Many of those documents are already in DOJ custody and may not have been presented to the jury. Judges have already released hundreds of documents in the Epstein saga. The majority of those held back were deemed unsuitable to be released because of federal laws that protect the privacy of Epstein victims and people not charged with crimes. This all comes as Trump continues a five-day trip to Scotland, where he announced Sunday that the United States and the European Union reached a framework for a trade deal after talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. When asked by a reporter at press conference if part of the reason for getting the deal done was to distract from the Epstein-related uproar, Trump said, 'You've got to be kidding me. No. It had nothing to do with it.' The president has deflected questions on the topic, claiming limited knowledge on the investigation, even though reports have emerged that he was told in May by Bondi that his name appeared in the files. Over the weekend, Trump also expanded his calls for the prosecution of political enemies. On Sunday, citing no evidence of wrongdoing, the president took to social media to call for the prosecution of former Vice President Kamala Harris and several prominent celebrities, including Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey, accusing them of illegally receiving payments in exchange for endorsing Democratic candidates, including Harris. CNN has fact-checked the Beyoncé claim, and found it did not happen. CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz, Kara Scannell, Aileen Graeff, Christian Sierra and Sarah Davis contributed to this report.
