Media reports: Ethereum developer accused of aiding North Korea remanded in custody

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Former Ethereum Foundation researcher Virgil Griffith has been remanded in custody. Inner City Press reports.

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Virgil Griffith was surrounded by two US Marshals and took off his belt before being taken into the holding cell. His lawyer Mr. Klein, when the Press asked, said he had no comment. Virgil’s father, whom Inner City Press previously spoke with, nodded. Podcast soon pic.twitter.com/4qPH0K3nVE

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— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) July 20, 2021

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On July 10, the U.S. Attorney’s Office called for remand in custody over an attempt to access one of his frozen cryptocurrency accounts with assets of $1 million.

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Prosecutors said this raised Griffith’s flight risk to an unacceptable level.

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Lawyer Jason Gottlieb acknowledged the case was complex, but called it ‘madness’ to detain someone for this alleged bail violation.

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In April 2019, Griffith attended a blockchain conference in Pyongyang. According to U.S. authorities, he told North Korea government officials about possibilities for using cryptocurrency to evade sanctions.

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Griffith was arrested in November of the same year. He refused to plead guilty, and in January 2020 he was released on bail of $1 million.

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In the autumn, representatives of the developer demanded that charges of providing information assistance to North Korea be dropped.

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In January 2021, the court rejected Griffit’s motion.

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The next hearing is scheduled for September 21. If convicted, the former Ethereum Foundation researcher faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

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