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Arizona Woman's Millions Funded North Korea's Nukes
Aug 14, 2025
A woman stole millions to fund North Korea's nuclear program, hosting a laptop farm in her home. The scheme defrauded US companies and compromised American identities. One neighbor said, "I hope the houses or neighbors 2 houses down that way aren't selling information to Russia or something." #NorthKorea #Cybercrime #Fraud #Arizona #NuclearProgram
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0:00
New details tonight on a Valley woman
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who stole millions to fund North Korea's
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nuclear program. She helped the North
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Koreans gain access to US companies by
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setting up a bank of computers inside
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her home. Taylor Wartz joins me with
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more tonight. Crazy story, Taylor.
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Yeah, Brian. A federal judge has
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sentenced Christina Chapman to 8 and a
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half years in prison for her role in a
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fraudulent scheme that assisted North
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Korea and generated income for their
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nuclear weapons program. all from her
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home in Lichfield Park.
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You never know what's going on behind
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closed doors, even in a neighborhood as
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normallooking as this one in Lichfield
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Park.
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You know, we looked up at the crime
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statistics and saw that it was actually
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a quiet neighborhood
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with a neighbor as unassuming as
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50-year-old Christina Chapman.
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So, I'm in the car um about to go. But
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the FBI says Chapman helped bring in
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more than $17 million for herself and
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North Korea, conspiring in a scheme to
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defraud the US and its agencies.
1:01
This is a different type of fraud is
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this is an income stream going back to
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the North Korean regime to fund their
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nuclear weapons program which makes this
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that national security matter. Between
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October 2020 and 2023, Chapman is said
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to have helped North Korean IT workers
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secure stolen identities of US citizens
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and residents, using those to get them
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remote jobs with US companies, even
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hosting a laptop farm in her home where
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she received and hosted the company's
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computers so the employees she was
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helping would appear to be in Arizona.
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The companies thought they were hiring
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Americans. When they are looking at
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their logs and seeing the IP addresses
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coming back to somewhere in the US, the
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systems say that is right.
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More than 90 laptops were seized from
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Chapman's home. The scheme impacted more
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than 300 US companies, ranging from a
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television network to an aerospace and
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defense manufacturer, and compromised
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more than 60 identities of American
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citizens. that a lady in Lichfield Park,
2:02
Arizona could be running a laptop farm
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on behalf of the North Korean
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government. I think that is the first
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shocking, but it also shows that this
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can happen anywhere in the US.
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Chapman posted frequently on Tik Tok
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showing laptops in the background.
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My clients are going crazy.
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Her posts getting more emotional after
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her arrest in 2023. Just when I think
2:25
something might be going in my favor,
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it goes terribly.
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Chapman's former neighbors say it's made
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them think twice about who's next door.
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I hope the houses or neighbors two
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houses down that way aren't selling
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information to Russia or something.
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The FBI says some of those North Korean
2:44
workers even tried to get jobs at
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government agencies, but were thankfully
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discovered. Chapman defraed the DHS,
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IRS, and SSA while playing her part in
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it.
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And Taylor, did Chapman express any
2:56
remorse for anything?
2:57
Yeah, Brian, she actually wrote a letter
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to the judge expressing some remorse,
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but she had a lot more to say. Take a
3:03
look. She said in part, "When I got this
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job, I was looking for a job that was
3:07
Monday through Friday that would allow
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me to be present for my mom on the
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weekends at her property where I lived.
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The area where we lived didn't provide
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for a lot of job opportunities that fit
3:16
what I needed. I also thought that the
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job was allowing me to help others. She
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even talked about the possible plans
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outside of prison. Chapman goes on to
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say she wants to continue writing and
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wants to start her own underwear
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company.
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Oh, didn't see that coming.
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No, not at all. I mean, she clearly has
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that American entrepreneurial.
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Sure. Yes, she does. Uh, international
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intrigue in Litzfield Park. Who knew?
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Thanks, St.
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