Prosecutors seek remand for Ethereum researcher Griffith in custody over North Korea ties

The U.S. prosecutors sought to remand the former Ethereum Foundation researcher Virgil Griffith in custody. Screenshots of the filing were posted by journalist and blockchain analyst Amy Castor.

Virgil Griffith violated his bail by trying to access $1 million in crypto on an account on a US exchange. Prosecutors are not happy. They think he is a flight risk pic.twitter.com/fxFnZQ24yz

— Amy Castor (@ahcastor) July 10, 2021

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According to prosecutors, the developer violated bail conditions by attempting to access one of his frozen cryptocurrency accounts with assets worth $1 million. Prosecutors said this raised Griffith’s flight risk to an ‘unacceptable level’.

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Lawyer Jason Gottlieb acknowledged the case is complex, but called it insane to remand someone in custody for this alleged bail violation.

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Griffith is a complicated and close case on SOME issues, but not this one: it is insane to remand someone to custody for this purported bail violation. The prosecutors are being incredibly heavy-handed and punitive. Not remotely in the public interest. https://t.co/xC9JkHgj0n

— Jason Gottlieb (@ohaiom) July 10, 2021

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‘The prosecutors are acting incredibly harshly and repressive. Not in the public interest,’ noted Gottlieb.

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In April 2019, the former Ethereum Foundation employee attended a blockchain conference in Pyongyang. According to U.S. authorities, he told North Korean government officials about the possibilities of using cryptocurrency to bypass sanctions.

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

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In the autumn, the developer called for dropping the charges of providing information assistance to North Korea.

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Earlier in January 2021, the court denied Griffith’s motion.

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