Get tomorrow's brief in your inbox
Today: A U.S. Army soldier and two accomplices were sentenced for enabling North Korean IT workers to fraudulently gain employment at U.S. companies, earning approximately $1.3 million for the North Korean government. The Department of Justice emphasized the national security threat posed by identity-lending schemes that allow foreign adversaries to infiltrate American corporate networks. Public confidence in the Supreme Court continues to decline, reaching a 25-year low at 22% according to NBC News polling.
U.S. Soldier Sentenced for Wire Fraud in North Korean IT Worker Scheme
Alexander Paul Travis, a 35-year-old active duty U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia, received a one-year prison sentence and three years of supervised release for allowing North Korean IT workers to use his identity to secure employment at U.S. companies between September 2019 and November 2022. Travis pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy alongside Jason Salazar (30, Clovis, CA) and Audricus Phagnasay (25, Fresno, CA). The three defendants allowed North Korean operatives to use their names on resumes, during employer vetting processes including interviews and drug tests, and to open bank accounts for receiving salaries. Travis received company-issued laptops from eight employers and installed remote access software, enabling North Korean workers to perform job duties while Travis collected $51,397. The North Korean workers earned $193,265 in Travis's name, which he was ordered to forfeit. Salazar was used by North Korean workers to gain employment at companies where they earned over $400,000 from September 2020 to October 2022, while Phagnasay's identity was used at 10 companies from 2019 to 2021, generating $680,000. Both received three years of probation and forfeiture orders. U.S. Attorney Margaret Heap for the Southern District of Georgia stated the scheme presents a "significant challenge to our national security," noting the defendants "practically gave the keys to the online kingdom to likely North Korean overseas technology workers seeking to raise illicit revenue for the North Korean government."
Supreme Court Public Confidence at 25-Year Low
Public confidence in the Supreme Court has fallen to 22%, the lowest level since NBC News began polling on the topic in 2000, according to polling conducted in late February and early March 2026. Only 7% of registered voters report having a "great deal" of confidence in the court, while 15% have "quite a bit" of confidence. The decline affects both political parties, with Republican confidence dropping from 53% in 2024 to 35% in 2026, while Democratic confidence stands at 9%. Legal scholars John Inazu of Washington University in St. Louis and Asma Uddin of Michigan State University, speaking at the March 16 Faith Angle Forum in Miami, attributed the trend to a broader institutional trust crisis affecting Congress (10% confidence, down from 29% in 2002) and the presidency (30% confidence, down from 58% in 2002). Chief Justice John Roberts and several justices have responded by speaking at college campuses and legal events to explain the court's work and address misconceptions.
Strengthen remote employee verification: Implement continuous identity verification for remote workers, including periodic video calls, device fingerprinting, and cross-referencing of access logs with stated employee locations. The North Korean IT worker prosecution demonstrates that sophisticated identity fraud can bypass traditional background checks.
Review third-party contractor vetting: Audit procedures for verifying the identity of contractors, freelancers, and offshore workers. Require video verification during onboarding and periodic check-ins. Document all identity verification steps to demonstrate due diligence if fraud is later discovered.
Monitor for identity fraud indicators: Train HR and IT security teams to recognize red flags such as requests to use personal devices instead of company-issued equipment, reluctance to participate in video meetings, inconsistent communication patterns, or requests to bypass standard vetting procedures.
Establish incident response procedures: Develop protocols for responding to suspected identity fraud, including immediate system access suspension, forensic investigation of accessed data, notification to law enforcement (FBI Cyber Division), and coordination with legal counsel on breach notification obligations.
Document national security risks: Organizations in sensitive sectors should document the national security implications of their vetting procedures. The DOJ's characterization of the North Korean IT worker scheme as a national security threat suggests regulatory scrutiny may increase for companies that fail to implement adequate identity verification controls.
Generated March 23, 2026 | Carolina Clear Tech