Virgil Griffith made news later last year when he was arrested by the FBI for illegally traveling to North Korea. The prosecutors have alleged that Virgil helped North Korea evade sanctions via blockchain and crypto. He has been charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Virgil Griffith pleads not guilty.
According to the Nk News report, Virgil Griffith pleaded not guilty in a New York Court on Thursday. The complaint issued by the US Department of Justice at the time said that Virgil provided highly technical information to North Korea that could help the Kim Jong Un regime evade sanctions. According to the US government, one of the conference organizers specifically asked about the potential of money laundering and sanction evasions via blockchain and crypto.
UN sanctions experts warn against attending the crypto conference in North Korea.
Earlier this month, the United Nations issued a warning against attending the upcoming crypto and blockchain conference in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The UN flagged the conference as a violation of sanctions. North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006, and the Kim Jong-Un regime has been accused of using cryptocurrency to fund its ballistic missile programs.
The crypto community voiced its support for Virgil Griffith, as some believe he should not have been arrested for spreading publicly available information. Virgil’s lawyer Brian Klein said that they would vigorously contest the charge and are looking forward to getting all the facts in front of the jury at trial.
