Maryland Man Sentenced for Scheme Helping Foreign IT Workers Pose As US Citizens
Scott McClallen | December 07, 2025 3:00 PM
Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong, 40, of Bowie, Maryland, was sentenced to 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a fraudulent scheme that assisted foreign information technology workers posing as U.S. citizens with obtaining remote IT positions at over a dozen U.S. companies.
According to court documents, Vong conspired with others, including John Doe, aka William James, a foreign national living in Shenyang, China, to defraud U.S. companies into hiring Vong as a remote software developer. After securing these jobs through materially false statements about his education, training, and experience, Vong allowed Doe and others to use his computer access credentials to perform the remote software development work and receive payment for that work.
Vong reportedly knew that Doe was located next to North Korea. Additionally, Doe’s communications indicate that he is likely a North Korean national who was working to generate revenue for the North Korean government.
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scott-mcclallen/2025/12/07/maryland-man-sentenced-for-scheme-helping-foreign-it-workers-pose-as-us-citizens-n2667496#google_vignette