Federal prosecutors are reportedly mounting a case that could implicate North Korea in the massive bank heist last year in which hackers stole $81 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The Wall Street Journal reported that prosecutors are looking to charge alleged Chinese middlemen,who are believed to have helped Pyongyang carry out the crime, in the case.
While prosecutors may not unveil charges against individuals in North Korea in the case, it is likely to implicate North Korea in the theft, the report said.
{mosads}The theft occurred in February 2016, when hackers breached systems of Bangladesh’s central bank and used a network designed to request interbank transfers to steal $81 million.
FBI investigators in Los Angeles and New York have been spearheading the international investigation into the massive heist.
The network, called the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or SWIFT, has since been targeted by hackers trying to infiltrate other financial institutions.
SWIFT said last week that it was deactivating the four remaining North Korean banks still able to use its transfer system, amid heightened concerns over Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.