U.S. law enforcement filed in November criminal charges against Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith because he traveled to North Korea and taught “his audience how to use blockchain technology.” Griffith was arrested on Thanksgiving Day and has been forced to remain in prison the whole time. On Dec. 26, SDNY Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses refused Griffith’s bail plea citing that he might be a flight risk.
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A few weeks ago the cryptocurrency community learned about the Ethereum proponent Virgil Griffith’s travels to North Korea (DPRK). Criminal charges are being sought against him which was initiated by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and the FBI. According to U.S. law enforcement agencies, Griffith was told not to go to North Korea but then decided to “[teach] his audience how to use blockchain technology to evade sanctions.” The 36-year old Griffith faces 21 months in prison if convicted and he’s been in jail since he was arrested on Nov. 28. Now according to innercitypress.com, Griffith was denied bail on Thursday because Judge Moses thinks he may abscond.
Innercitypress.com columnist Matthew Russell Lee said that Judge Moses asked prosecutors if they believed “North Korea will send a private plane to pick him up.” U.S. prosecutors claim Griffith “misled pre-trial services” in regard to his second residence in Puerto Rico. The court asked Griffith’s council why he had another home in Puerto Rico and his lawyer told the judge: “Puerto Rico is a developing area in the crypto space.” Russell Lee’s report also notes that Griffith’s lawyer insisted to
