A $970,000 scheme uncovered by the FBI.
Minh Phuong Ngoc Wong, a resident of Bowie, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to a years-long fraud scheme. He secured jobs at American IT companies by posing as an experienced software developer, then gave access to his work to individuals based in China.
On January 30, 2023, Wong’s accomplice — known as William James — submitted a résumé on Wong’s behalf to a tech company in Virginia. The résumé claimed Wong had a bachelor’s degree and 16 years of software development experience. In reality, he had neither a degree nor any experience in the field.
On March 28, Wong participated in a virtual interview with the company’s manager, presenting a U.S. driver’s license and passport to verify his identity. He was then hired to work on a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) project involving a system used by government agencies to handle classified information.
The company provided Wong with a work laptop, and the FAA issued him a PIV card — a credential required to access secure facilities and restricted IT systems. Wong installed remote access software on the laptop and gave his credentials to James, enabling him to connect from China and secretly perform the work.
Over four months in 2023, the company paid Wong more than $28,000 for work that was actually performed from China. Wong then transferred a portion of the money to his overseas accomplices.
It turned out that this wasn’t the first time Wong had pulled off this scheme. From 2021 to 2024, he secured employment at at least 13 different organizations. The total amount paid to him exceeded $970,000. Several of the companies unknowingly provided his services to U.S. government agencies, unaware the real work was being done in China.
Wong’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 28, and he faces up to 20 years in prison. The FBI is conducting the investigation. The case is part of a broader U.S. Department of Justice initiative called DPRK RevGen, which aims to uncover schemes in which foreign IT specialists operate under the guise of U.S. citizens. One of its top priorities is combating so-called “laptop farms,” where American companies unknowingly provide hardware and system access to third parties overseas.
