FBI raids Texas 'laptop farms' helping North Korea fund nuclear weapons
People pay tribute to the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to pay their respects on the occasion of the 81st founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea at Mansu Hill in Pyongyang on October 10, 2026. (Photo by
DALLAS - An investigation uncovered a network of U.S.-based "laptop farms" that helped North Koreans secretly infiltrate American businesses, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas said Tuesday.
The scheme aimed to fund the regime's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
What we know:
During "Operation Lone Star Roundup," federal agents seized more than 185 laptops and devices from around 40 locations across Texas, U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said.
Agents found more than 100 of those devices right here in North Texas.
North Korean IT Scheme
04 January 2019, Berlin: ILLUSTRATION - A man sits in front of his laptop and looks at the program code. (on the subject of data theft among German politicians and celebrities from 05.01.2019) Photo: Paul Zinken/dpa (Photo by Paul Zinken/picture alli
The backstory:
North Korean IT workers use fake identities to get remote contracts with U.S. companies. Because these workers actually live in North Korea, they rely on U.S. facilitators to receive company-issued laptops and host them in their homes.
The U.S. facilitators install remote access software, allowing operatives in North Korea to log in and appear as though they are working from within the United States.
The workers then funnel an estimated 85% to 90% of their earnings directly to the North Korean government.
Raybould said the U.S. Treasury estimated that more than $800 million was sent to North Korea in fiscal year 2024.
Officials said North Texas sees a high concentration of this activity due to the region's massive employment market.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not announced any arrests.
Officials did not specify where the laptop farms were located, other than saying they were spread across the state and heavily concentrated near DFW.
By the numbers:
- 185+ devices were seized during the operation
- 40 locations were raided in Texas between Sept. 21 and Sept. 25
- $800 million is the estimated amount generated by North Korean IT workers in 2024
- 85% to 90% of worker's salaries funneled directly to the North Korean government
Ryan Raybould
What they're saying:
Authorities stressed that the Americans hosting these devices cannot claim ignorance.
"If you're an individual, and you have 50 laptops in your family room, you're doing something wrong," Raybould said. "It's frankly ridiculous. And so I would also encourage folks that if you think it's appropriate to host 30 to 40 laptops in your family room and then claim to the United States government that you didn't know what you're doing was wrong, that argument is completely gobbledygook."
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Joe Rothrock highlighted the measures operatives take to conceal their identities.
"They may use stolen identities of unsuspecting Americans to obtain U.S. IT workers' jobs," Rothrock said. "In other instances, they pay individuals to use their identities or to complete other tasks, including appearing at interviews, verifying stolen identities, shipping packages, hosting laptops, and completing drug testing or fingerprinting."
What's next:
The investigation is ongoing.
Authorities expect to issue federal indictments against the U.S.-based facilitators.
The FBI is continuing to identify additional individuals involved in the scheme.
The Source: The information in this article comes from a press conference held by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI Dallas field office.