Source: Cointelegraph Original: "{title}"
Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith was released from prison custody on Wednesday (April 9), confirmed by officials from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to Cointelegraph.
According to cryptocurrency developer Brantly Millegan, Griffith will stay at a halfway house for a few weeks while awaiting the next step in the parole process.
Griffith was arrested in 2019 for teaching blockchain technology and its ability to evade U.S. sanctions to an audience in North Korea.
Griffith took a photo with his parents immediately after his release on April 9. Source: Brantly Millegan
The U.S. government claims that although the content of the speech was widely available on the internet, the researcher violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) by providing "highly technical information" to the North Korean audience.
Griffith's case highlights the tension between blockchain developers and state power, as this emerging technology continually creates avenues for individuals and regions to evade financial control, censorship, and surveillance.
Virgil Griffith's legal battle against U.S. prosecutors began in January 2020 when a grand jury indicted Griffith on conspiracy charges for violating the IEEPA, which grants the government the power to restrict economic activities between U.S. citizens and foreign entities deemed hostile to the U.S.
Griffith initially pleaded not guilty to all charges. In October 2020, the software developer's legal team filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that Griffith merely stated information that was already public knowledge and did not violate the law.
Griffith's cryptocurrency-themed presentation to a North Korean audience in 2019. Source: Cointelegraph/U.S. Department of Justice
After nearly two years of lengthy legal battles, Griffith reached a plea agreement with the U.S. government in September 2021, admitting to violating the sanctions law.
The Ethereum researcher was sentenced to 63 months in prison and ordered by the court to pay a $100,000 fine in April 2022. However, the legal struggle did not end there.
Two years later, in April 2024, the researcher's lawyer submitted a motion for sentence reduction, which U.S. prosecutors opposed, stating that Griffith's actions were harmful to national security.
Despite the prosecutors' opposition, New York Judge Kevin Castel ruled in July 2024 to reduce Griffith's sentence to 56 months.
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