Virgil Griffith’s lawyer Brian Klein informed on twitter that the judge allowed Griffith to be released from jail until the trial. Klein also added that they dispute all the untested allegations in the complaint.
Virgil was warned not to travel to North Korea.
According to Friday’s complaint, Virgil Griffith was denied permission to travel to North Korea and give a presentation titled “Blockchain and Peace.” It is alleged that Griffith explained how to facilitate the exchange of cryptocurrency between North Korea and South Korea despite knowing that it would violate US sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Virgil has been charged with “violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and, if convicted, might face up to 20 years in prison.
I now represent Virgil Griffith and am very pleased that today the judge found that he should be released from jail pending trial. We dispute the untested allegations in the criminal complaint, and Virgil looks forward to his day in court, when the full story can come out.
— Brian Klein (@brianeklein) December 3, 2019
Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin defends Griffith.
Etehreum co-founder Vitalik Buterin in a series of tweets, defended Virgil’s trip to North Korea. However, he clarified that Virgil’s visit had nothing to do with Ethereum. Vitalik also said that Griffith was counseled against for his visit to North Korea. Many from the crypto community have come in support of Griffith as he only revealed information in his presentation that is publicly available. Vitalik also signed a petition to get Griffith out of jail.
