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Renowned trial attorney Brian Klein will represent Virgil Griffith, the developer recently arrested for participating in a blockchain conference in North Korea.
Renowned trial attorney Brian Klein has revealed he will represent Virgil Griffith, the developer recently arrested for participating in a blockchain conference in North Korea.
In a tweet posted on Dec. 3, Klein stated that his client disputes the âuntested allegations in the criminal complaintâ and had been temporarily released from jail pending his trial.
Klein: Griffith âlooks forward to the full storyâ coming out
Klein â who has previously represented the likes of Charlie Shrem and Erik Voorhees â is a former federal prosecutor who currently works as a criminal and regulatory defense attorney at United States law firm Baker Marquart.Â
He has extensive experience with technology cases and chairs the American Bar Associationâs blockchain, digital currency and ICO national institute, his staff profile indicates.
As reported, Griffith â a 36-year old American citizen living in Singapore â was arrested at the Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 29 and is being charged with conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act or IEEPA.Â
Griffith had traveled to the Democratic Peopleâs Republic of Korea (DPRK) to deliver a conference presentation, entitled âBlockchain and Peace,â despite allegedly having been denied permission to do so by the U.S. State Department.Â
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Griffith with providing âhighly technical information to North Korea, knowing that this information could be used to help North Korea launder money and evade sanctions.â
In his tweet, Klein has welcomed the ruling to release Griffith from jail pending his forthcoming trial, adding that his client âlooks forward to his day in court, when the full story can come out.â
Vitalik Buterin pledges his supportÂ
Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin has declared his solidarity with Griffith, stating he believes that âgeopolitical open-mindedness is a *virtue*â and that he does not believe Griffith gave the DPRK âany kind of real help in doing anything bad.â
Buterin has supported a change.org petition to release the developer, which has 50 signatures by press time.
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