Former Ethereum Developer Virgil Griffith Walks Free From Prison

Virgil Griffith, a former Ethereum developer, has walked free from prison after serving a portion of his sentence for violating U.S. sanctions related to North Korea, according to a recent X post.  

In November 2019, Griffith was apprehended under allegations that he helped North Korean officials exploit blockchain technology to bypass U.S. sanctions. The American programmer was charged for giving misleading information at a blockchain event in Pyongyang.

Griffith’s Arrest Background

Griffith faced allegations of disclosing crucial details in his presentation about how North Korea might utilize crypto and blockchain technology to circumvent international sanctions. This act claimed to breach U.S. regulations that prevent American citizens from participating in specific financial transactions with the nation. 

As such, in November 2021, the former Ethereum developer pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to breach U.S. laws regarding money laundering through crypto despite defending his actions as academic and not malicious.

Since then, Griffith has served his time in a federal low-security prison in Pennsylvania. In July 2024, United States District Judge Kevin Castel cut his initial sentence of 63 months to 56 months, noting that this was his first offense.

Griffith’s role in the crypto world remains unclear as he steps back into life beyond prison. It’s still unknown whether he will rejoin the Ethereum Foundation or explore new opportunities within the blockchain industry. However, his case is a stark warning about the legal challenges that those working in the crypto space must consider carefully. 

Griffith Creates Big Designs 

Since 2016, Griffith has been an active research scientist for the Ethereum Foundation. He was living in Singapore and was said to be considering renouncing his U.S. citizenship at the time of his arrest. The American developer is known for co-creating the Tor2web proxy alongside Aaron Swartz and for building WikiScanner, a tool that tracks changes made to Wikipedia articles.

In 2002, he graduated from the Alabama School of Math and Science. He also studied cognitive science at the University of Alabama. The Alabama-born earned a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology in computation and neural systems, sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Energy and Homeland Security.