USCOURTS-dcd-1_20-cv-00606-0.pdf (320 KB)

A U.S. District Court order granted default judgment and forfeiture of virtual-currency accounts tied to alleged North Korean exchange hacks and laundering. The court record describes North Korean operatives stealing nearly $250 million from one exchange after a fake customer interaction led an employee to download malware, giving attackers remote access to private keys. Investigators traced stolen funds through peel-chain transactions and accounts linked to money launderers Tian Yinyin and Li Jiadong, who moved funds across exchanges and Chinese bank accounts. The opinion also cites U.N. findings that North Korean exchange intrusions raise revenue for weapons programs.