A Gainesville man who held a top secret security clearance pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a scheme that helped North Korean IT workers get remote jobs at U.S. companies, InsideNoVa reported.
John Allen Kurrle Jr., 62, worked for a U.S. government defense contractor from June to August 2025, according to federal court documents.
Prosecutors say Kurrle let foreign individuals use his identity, and a third person’s identity, to apply for remote jobs. He also received laptops shipped by victim companies to his Gainesville home and enabled remote access from outside the United States.
The applications produced nine job offers from U.S. companies. Prosecutors say North Korea dispatches thousands of IT workers to obtain remote jobs to evade sanctions and earn money for the regime.
Kurrle is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 28 and faces up to 20 years in prison.
