Former who admitted to helping North Korea Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith was sentenced to 63 months in prison by a New York court.
In addition, the court awarded Griffith a $100,000 fine.
Griffith surprisingly admitted to a conspiracy charge last September that he violated sanctions laws.
The developer’s move comes after a court request from the court to dismiss the case in January of this year was denied.
Ethereum Developer Gives Conference To North Korean Officials On How US Sanctions Could Be Bypassed
The Ethereum developer went to North Korea in November 2019 and went to a local cryptocurrency He was arrested by the US authorities after giving a presentation at the conference.
Among the attendees of the conference in question were North Korean officials. The main theme of Griffith’s presentation was how North Korea could circumvent US sanctions.
The developer’s lawyers made the unsuccessful defense that Griffith’s speech complied with the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and that the developer only shared publicly available informational materials with North Korean officials.
Griffith Went to North Korea via China Despite Warnings
As it is known, the US administration banned American citizens from visiting North Korea in 2017.
The State Department did not allow Griffith to go to the country for a Blockchain conference, but the developer nevertheless attended the conference by transiting through China.
It is known that Griffith also tried to persuade other American developers to attend the conference with him.
The Ethereum developer was accused of endangering his country’s national security.
Normally asking for up to 20 years in prison, Griffith escaped the harshest possible sentence by refusing a jury trial and accepting a plea bargain.
*Not investment advice.