The sentence of former Ethereum Foundation researcher Virgil Griffith, accused of violating sanctions law by visiting North Korea, has been reduced from 63 to 56 months. This was reported by The Block.
The US District Judge considered the difficulties faced by the developer during his imprisonment and took into account several “disciplinary violations” on his part when making the decision.
“The need to protect the public from further crimes by this defendant has somewhat diminished, although the court notes ‘rule violations’ by the defendant while in custody at the BOP,” stated the judge.
Specifically, Griffith had a conflict with a cellmate, leading him to arrange a temporary transfer to another cell with an officer without official documentation. An inspection at the facility during that period revealed this violation.
Previously, Griffith’s lawyers had argued for a reduced sentence due to their client’s lack of criminal history and financial misconduct.
In contrast, the prosecutor noted that the developer was aware of “North Korea’s atrocities against its own people and the country’s leadership’s threats towards the US,” thus considering his trip as “brazen participation in a conspiracy to violate sanctions.”
Back in April 2019, the developer attended a blockchain conference in Pyongyang. He was arrested in November of that year and accused of providing North Korea with information on using cryptocurrencies to evade US sanctions and launder money during the event.
Later, Griffith pleaded guilty, and in April 2022, he was sentenced to five years and three months in prison, along with a $100,000 fine.
In June 2023, the US Department of Commerce revoked the developer’s export privileges for 10 years.