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Ethereum researcher, Virgil Griffith, was released from the federal prison and transferred to a transitional house, confirmed officials of the Bureau of Prisons on April 9, 2025.
According to Crypto Brantly Millegan developerGriffith should stay in the house halfway for several weeks as he finishes the following stages of its parole process.
His case, which started with his arrest in 2019 for having presented a blockchain conference in North Korea, has become one of the most publicized legal incidents involving a blockchain developer and the US government.
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Griffith was Originally arrested After giving a conference in Pyongyang. The American authorities said that the conference had provided “highly technical information” on blockchain technology. In addition, it could potentially help North Korea to escape us Sanctions.
The US government accused Griffith of having violated the International Economic Economic Powers (IEEPA).
Limited ieepa American citizens were engaged in unauthorized economic interactions with foreign opponents.
While Griffith’s presentation included information easily available online, the government argued that sharing it directly with a sanctioned regime was still a legal violation.
In January 2020, a large jury charged him for conspiracy under the ieepa. Originally pleading not guilty, the defense of Griffith tried to reject the case, arguing that his actions did not violate the law.
Virgil Griffith came out of prison !!!
I just went out this morning! He will be in a house halfway for a few weeks, and his parole after that with work restrictions (so forgiveness is still important), but he is absent
pic.twitter.com/q4jrzmrygk
– Brantly.eth (@brantmentmillegan) April 9, 2025
In September 2021, after almost two years of legal proceedings, Griffith accepted a advocacy agreement. He admitted to having violated the laws on American sanctions. He was sentenced in April 2022 to 63 months in prison and sentenced to a fine of $ 100,000.
The efforts to reduce his sentence followed. In April 2024, Griffith’s legal team filed a request for penalties. The advocacy encountered the opposition of federal prosecutors who argued that his actions pose a risk of national security.
Despite this, judge Kevin Castel granted a reduction in sentences in July 2024. Griffith’s prison sentence was shortened to 56 months.
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North Korea has taken the crypto hack at a level sponsored by the stateWith its Lazare group, would have stolen billions of digital assets to support its strongly sanctioned economy and nuclear weapons program.
In a major Incident in February 2025, Lazarus stole $ 1.5 billion at Crypto Exchange bybit, employing sophisticated tactics such as false job offers, malicious applications and multiple money laundering to escape detection.
Since 2017, the regime has reportedly made more than 50 similar attacks, accumulating nearly $ 3 billion in illegal crypto.
Despite certain acts of accusation and public warnings of the American authorities, the application of sanctions and the recovery of stolen funds remain a massive challenge due to the anonymous and decentralized nature of crypto.
In addition to cyber attacks, North Korea also uses forged documents and convoluted commercial roads to acquire a sensitive nuclear technology, highlighting the growing dependence of the regime with regard to unconventional tools to maintain and advance its ambitions of arms.
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Post Ethereum researcher, Virgil Griffith, was published in prison, moving to Halfway House appeared first on 99Bitcoins.