Former Ethereum Developer Virgil Griffith Pleads Guilty to North Korea Charges, Enters 6.5 Year Plea Deal: Report –

On September 27, 2021, the trial of former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith began at the Southern District of New York Courthouse at 9:30 a.m. (EST). Griffith served 20 years behind bars for discussing blockchain technology in North Korea. At about 10:30 a.m., Griffith pleaded guilty and accepted a plea deal of up to six and a half years in prison.

Former Ethereum developer pleads guilty

Virgil Griffith appeared in court today and about an hour into the trial, the defendant pleaded guilty in an apparent plea. The former Ethereum developer was charged while speaking at a blockchain conference in North Korea.

The US government accused Griffith of providing North Korea with “highly technical information” and information that could help North Korea “launder money and evade sanctions.” While awaiting trial, Griffith was under house arrest and living with his parents.

To Virgil Griffith, here are the minutes from this morning: Pleaded guilty to Count 1 with admitted forfeiture. Defendant “remanded in custody”; Sentencing on January 18th. Ironically, this is followed by an instruction that his attorney can deduct his fees from his Coinbase accounts pic.twitter.com/mTm6Q3DllU

— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) September 27, 2021

However, it was the end of July reported that Griffith breached the conditions of his bail and was taken into custody. At that time, Griffith allegedly had his mother log into a Coinbase account that he owned but was barred from using.

On Monday, Griffith appeared in the Southern District of New York Courthouse, and Ethan Lou, a journalist, spoke about the guilty plea. Lou then added around 10:30 a.m. (EST) that Griffith pleaded guilty and the journalist called:

Virgil Griffith unexpectedly pleaded guilty. Plea with up to 6.5 years in prison. Judge will sentence on January 13 next year.

"Virgil was quite emotional. Sometimes deep sighs when he spoke. Unclear what new development caused this guilty plea. The paperwork was only signed yesterday. One possible reason is the Ethereum Foundation's ban on remote testimony," Lou continued tweeted on Monday morning.

Matthew Russell Lee from Inner City Press was also there reporting in the process and he discussed Griffith's plea deal on a podcast Monday morning.

Griffith attempted to seek legal advice to explain that he was "not trying to help North Korea"

In the first indictment, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated that "Griffith jeopardized the sanctions that both Congress and the President enacted to exert maximum pressure on North Korea's dangerous regime." Ethan Lou's latest tweet notes that Griffith was trying to get advice on how to prove he didn't help the country.

"[The] defense had wanted [a] lawyer's testimony to show that Virgil had attempted to seek legal advice and ultimately had not tried to actually help North Korea. [The] lawyer, however, based in Singapore, had [an] travel problem due to the pandemic," Lou called.

What do you think of the reports that say Griffith has pleaded guilty and accepted a plea deal of up to six and a half years in prison? Let us know your thoughts on this topic in the comments below.

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