A federal judge in New York rejected the motion by former Ethereum Foundation researcher Virgil Griffith to drop charges of providing information assistance to North Korea. Law360 reports.
Representatives of the developer filed a document in October 2020. Lawyers argued that Griffith’s transmission of public information about blockchain technology does not constitute a service provision, and prosecutors failed to establish the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge did not accept the defense’s arguments. Griffith will face a jury.
In April 2019, a former Ethereum Foundation employee attended a blockchain conference in Pyongyang. According to authorities, he told officials from the North Korean government about opportunities for using cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions.
Griffith was arrested in November of the same year. He pleaded not guilty, and in January 2020 he was released on bail of $1 million.
Earlier, the Southern District of New York court had previously scheduled hearings on Griffith’s case for September 2021.
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