Ethereum Developer Virgil Griffith sentenced 63 months in prison

The sentence was set for January 18, 2022, but occurred on April 12

April 12th, local media Inner city spread the news that Fromer Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith was sentenced to evade US sanctions against North Korea. A Manhattan judge sentenced Virgil Griffith to 63 months in prison for a 2019 appearance he made at the. Additionally, Griffith will have to pay a $100,000.

At the time, Griffith, who has a PhD from the California Institute of Technology, worked for the Ethereum Foundation’s Special Projects group before his arrest. During 2019 he decided to make a presentation at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference, in North Korea.

The presentation was focused on «how blockchain technology such as smart contracts could be used to benefit the DPRK, including in nuclear weapons negotiations with the United States».

The activities organized by Griffith represented a violation of the IEEPA and Executive Order 13466, which prohibits the export of any goods, services, or technology to the DPRK without a license from the Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Apparently, several of his colleagues did not agree with this presentation, Griffith had already received warnings from the authorities, who had denied him permission to travel DPKR. On twitter, Vitalik Buterin said «It was Virgil’s personal trip that many counseled against.»

“Despite receiving warnings not to go, Griffith allegedly traveled to one of the United States’ foremost adversaries, North Korea, where he taught his audience how to use blockchain technology to evade sanctions. By this complaint, we begin the process of seeking justice for such conduct,” said John Demers, Assistant Attorney General.

US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated: “As alleged, Virgil Griffith provided highly technical information to North Korea, knowing that this information could be used to help North Korea launder money and evade sanctions. In allegedly doing so, Griffith jeopardized the sanctions that both Congress and the president have enacted to place maximum pressure on North Korea’s dangerous regime.»