Virgil Griffith, US crypto guru who aided North Korea, sentenced to 5 years



News Virgil Griffith, US crypto guru who aided North Korea, sentenced to 5 years Judge chides Griffith as a wannabe ‘crypto hero’ whose actions seriously undercut US sanctions against North Korea Ethan Jewell April 13, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Virgil Griffith in Berlin, Jan. 6, 2019 \| Image: Virgil Griffith's Facebook profile An American cryptocurrency researcher was sentenced to 63 months in prison and fined $100,000 for helping North Korea evade sanctions, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday, marking the latest courtroom victory for U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang. Virgil Griffith, who formerly headed up the Ethereum Foundation, attended a cryptocurrency conference in Pyongyang in April 2019. Organizers for the event explicitly asked Griffith to stress the “potential money laundering and sanction evasion applications” of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, according to government prosecutors. “What you see here is intentionality, a deliberate, willful intent to violate the sanctions regime,” said Judge P. Kevin Castel, © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Virgil Griffith, US crypto guru who aided North Korea, sentenced to 5 years

Judge chides Griffith as a wannabe ‘crypto hero’ whose actions seriously undercut US sanctions against North Korea

Ethan Jewell April 13, 2022

Virgil Griffith, US crypto guru who aided North Korea, sentenced to 5 years

Virgil Griffith in Berlin, Jan. 6, 2019 | Image: Virgil Griffith's Facebook profile

An American cryptocurrency researcher was sentenced to 63 months in prison and fined $100,000 for helping North Korea evade sanctions, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday, marking the latest courtroom victory for U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang.

Virgil Griffith, who formerly headed up the Ethereum Foundation, attended a cryptocurrency conference in Pyongyang in April 2019. Organizers for the event explicitly asked Griffith to stress the “potential money laundering and sanction evasion applications” of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, according to government prosecutors.

“What you see here is intentionality, a deliberate, willful intent to violate the sanctions regime,” said Judge P. Kevin Castel,