Ethereum 2 min, 17 sec READ

by Mike Dalton

Griffith pleaded guilty to helping North Korea evade sanctions via crypto. Now, he's free — with several restrictions.

Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith, who illegally visited North Korea to present on how crypto could help evade sanctions, has been released from prison.

Griffith's lawyer, Alexander Urbelis, reported the news via an X post on April 9, writing: “I am so pleased to report that VIRGIL IS OUT.”

Griffith’s imprisonment was widely unpopular among the crypto community, and several prominent figures commented to welcome his freedom.

Those who did so included Zcash’s Zooko Wilcox, journalist Naomi Brockwell, and former Coinbase executive Linda Xie. Ethereum community members also welcomed Griffith’s return, including former Ethereum core developer Joseph Delong.

Griffith himself had contributed to the Ethereum ecosystem since 2016, including in a lead role at the Ethereum Name Service (ENS).

No Pardon Yet and Strict Rules

Urbelis noted that Griffith had not been pardoned despite his release. His legal team will continue to press for a presidential pardon.

Speaking to CoinDesk, Urbelis said that seeking a pardon from the Trump administration is an “ongoing process” that has seen “great progress.”

As of April 9, Griffith was heading to a halfway house in Baltimore. His legal team hopes that he will be moved to home confinement in the near future.

Urbelis says the goal is to help Griffith contribute to society again. Presently, Griffith could remain under probation for years under conditions that are still unknown.

Additionally, Griffith is subject to export restrictions until 2032 that bar him from participating in transactions that export software outside the U.S. Those restrictions could make it difficult for him to work, especially in the crypto industry.

Griffith's Initial Arrest

The U.S. originally arrested Griffith in 2019. He then pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in 2021.

U.S. authorities said that, after the Department of State denied him permission, Griffith had traveled to North Korea. There, he presented on several topics — including on the use of crypto to bypass sanctions — to a blockchain conference audience that included North Korean government members.

Later, Griffith pursued plans to facilitate crypto exchange between North and South Korea, attempted to recruit other U.S. citizens to travel to North Korea, and tried to broker introductions between North Korea and crypto services.

Following his guilty plea, Griffith was sentenced to 63 months in prison in April 2022. He was additionally subjected to a $100,000 fine.

Griffith's sentence was reduced to 56 months in July 2024 due to changes to sentencing rules for “zero-point offenders” with no prior criminal history. His legal team won the reduced sentence despite opposition from U.S. authorities.