[Maryland Man Sentenced to 15 Months for Assisting North Korea in Infiltrating U.S. Tech Companies] Maryland man Minh Phuong Ngoc Vong was sentenced to 15 months in prison for assisting North Korea in secretly placing IT personnel in U.S. tech companies. Ngoc Vong obtained jobs at U.S. tech companies on behalf of overseas conspirators, which may have involved a North Korean citizen. This scheme allowed foreign agents unauthorized access to sensitive government systems, including defense-related systems.