Virgil Griffith Released from Prison, Former Colleague Reports

Ethereum researcher and developer Virgil Griffith has been released from prison, according to a report by his former Ethereum Name Service (ENS) colleague, Brantly Millegan.

VIRGIL GRIFFITH IS OUT OF PRISON!!!

just released this morning! he’ll be in a halfway house for a few weeks, and parole after that with work restrictions (so a pardon is still important), but HE IS OUT ???????? pic.twitter.com/Q4jRZmryGk

— brantly.eth (@BrantlyMillegan) April 9, 2025

Millegan shared a photo of the released Griffith with his parents in front of the prison buildings, noting that he received it from the programmer’s father.

I got the photo from his dad, and no one else was talking about it yet because it just happened

— brantly.eth (@BrantlyMillegan) April 9, 2025

He will spend a few more weeks in a halfway house—a facility for rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Following this, the developer will be released on parole with “work restrictions.”

Griffith, a former Ethereum Foundation employee and one of the creators of ENS, was arrested in late November 2019 on charges of violating U.S. sanctions.

The charges stemmed from his trip to North Korea to attend a blockchain conference, where he allegedly informed DPRK representatives about using cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions and conduct cross-border transfers. Griffith did not obtain special permissions from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to visit North Korea or provide any services or goods.

In September 2021, the programmer pleaded guilty. Six months later, he was sentenced to 63 months in prison and fined $100,000. In July 2024, the sentence was reduced to 56 months.

Back in January, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order for the full and unconditional pardon of Silk Road darknet market creator Ross Ulbricht.