American developer Virgil Griffith, who pleaded guilty in September last year, was found guilty Tuesday (12). 63 months in prison To provide North Korea with cryptocurrency services and advisory services on the functioning of blockchain technology. The professional is accused of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and Executive Order 13466.
Legal provisions prohibit the export of any goods, services or technology to North Korea without a license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), an agency of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In court, Damien Williams, the US Attorney General for the Southern District of New York, said that “there is no doubt that North Korea poses a threat to the national security of our nation.”
According to the prosecutor, Griffith admitted in court that he did so to circumvent the sanctions imposed on North Korea to prevent the East Asian country from becoming a nuclear power. “Justice has been served with today’s sentence,” Williams celebrated.
What did Virgil Griffith do?
Virgil Griffith was working as a Special Projects Developer and Research Scientist for the Ethereum Foundation in 2019 and decided to travel from Singapore to Pyongyang to attend a Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference in the North Korean capital. Despite being denied a travel permit by the US State Department.
According to the court, Griffith not only attended the banned event, but also briefed during the conference on ways North Korea uses crypto technology to launder money and circumvent US sanctions. The developer specifically talked about “smart contracts” that allow the creation of decentralized apps and tokens.
After 63 months in prison, Griffith He will spend three years on probation.
Source: Tec Mundo
