Virgil Griffith Virgil Griffith
Virgil Griffith (an Ethereum Foundation researcher) pleaded guilty in aiding North Korea to bypass US sanctions.
The US authorities claimed that he helped North Koreans use blockchain technology to bypass sanctions.
Vitalik Buterin, founder of ethereum, stated in 2019 that he doesn't believe that Virgil gave DRPK any real help in doing bad things.
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According to a Bloomberg report, Virgil Griffith, an Ethereum foundation researcher, pleaded guilty in aiding North Korea to bypass US sanctions by using blockchain technology.
After attending a Pyongyang Blockchain Conference, Griffith was taken into custody in 2019. The US claimed that Griffith helped North Koreans use blockchain technology to bypass strict international sanctions. According to the Wall Street Journal, his presentation was considered to be giving services to North Korea. His trip was also not approved by America.
Griffith's lawyers argued that he provided simple information online.
Bloomberg reports that Griffith admitted that he conspired to violate the sanctions law. The trial was scheduled to start on Monday. Griffith could spend up to 20 years behind bars.
Vitalik Buterin, founder of ethereum, circulated a Twitter petition calling for Griffith's freedom after he was detained in 2019. However, he claimed that the Ethereum Foundation was not involved with the Pyongyang trip.
Buterin stated that he didn't believe that Virgil's actions gave DRPK any real help in doing bad things. "There was no 'advanced tutoring' with hackery.
"Geopolitical openness is a virtue." It is admirable to visit a group that one has been taught since childhood to believe are Maximum Evil Enemies, and listen to their opinions," he said.
So-called secondary sanctions are placed on North Korea, which means that anyone doing business with the country could be under fire.
Griffith was an iconoclastic hacker in the pre-crypto era. He enjoyed creating "minor public relations disasters for organizations and companies I dislike", as he stated in a 2008 interview to the New York Times.
