Virgil Griffith, a famous developer of the Ethereum platform, has just been restricted by the US Government because of past crimes.
According to Cointelegraph, the US government has banned the departure of programmer Virgil Griffith for 10 years. This order is expected to expire on April 12, 2032.
In April 2022, Virgil Griffith was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the Southern District Court of New York for violating international embargo laws. Specifically, during a trip to North Korea, Griffith gave a lecture and provided knowledge related to Blockchain. This action is considered a serious violation of the embargo that the US is imposing on the Northeast Asian country.
Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman even accused Virgil Griffith of conspiring to launder money and assist North Korea in evading sanctions. As a result, the former Ethereum programmer was sentenced to 63 months in prison, along with 3 years of supervised release. In addition, he must also pay a criminal fine of up to $100,000.
Photo of Virgil Griffith's speech in North Korea, released by prosecutors.
According to Virgil Griffith's testimony in court, in April 2019, he started a trip to Pyongyang, North Korea to attend an event on the topic of cryptocurrencies. Griffith's defense lawyer asserted that his client just wanted to introduce Blockchain technology to everyone, however, the prosecutor presented evidence that Griffith personally resisted the ban and knowingly supported North Korea. Among them, there is a photo of an American programmer standing next to a sign that says “No Sanctions!” or “No more embargo!”.
Virgil Griffith advanced a $1 million bail in December 2019. In October 2020, he filed a petition asking the court to dismiss the prosecution's charges. However, in September 2021, Griffith finally pleaded guilty to violating international sanctions and providing important technological information to North Korea. Normally, the penalty frame for this crime is up to 20 years in prison. Thanks to the sincere declaration, the American programmer has been reduced.
In the past 2 years, the US has continuously had strong penalties for violations related to the digital asset industry. For example, in August 2022, after forcing the “crypto mixer” Tornado Cash to stop working, the US also ordered the arrest of Alexey Pertsev, the developer of this platform.