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U.S. law enforcement filed in November criminal charges against Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith because he traveled to North Korea and taught âhis audience how to use blockchain technology.â 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 Griffithâs bail plea citing that he might be a flight risk. Following the judgeâs denial, Griffith appealed the denial of bond and he will be allowed to travel to Alabama to his parentsâ residence.
Also Read: Harsh Laws Make Bitcoin Holders Consider Renunciation or Dual Citizenship
**This article was updated at 2:00 p.m. EST on December 30, 2019, to reflect that Virgil Griffith appealed Judge Barbara Mosesâ decision to deny him bail. Griffith won the appeal and under certain pre-trial conditions, Griffith will be released on bail.**
US Prosecutors: âGriffith Could Acquire Property Overseas With His Digital Walletâ
A few weeks ago the cryptocurrency community learned about the Ethereum proponent Virgil Griffithâs travels to North Korea (DPRK). Criminal charges are being sought against him which was initiated by the United States Attorneyâs 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 â[teach] his audience how to use blockchain technology to evade sanctions.â The 36-year old Griffith faces 21 months in prison if convicted and heâs 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.
Ethereum community member Virgil Griffith.
Innercitypress.com columnist Matthew Russell Lee said that Judge Moses asked prosecutors if they believed âNorth Korea will send a private plane to pick him up.â U.S. prosecutors claim Griffith âmisled pre-trial servicesâ in regard to his second residence in Puerto Rico. The court asked Griffithâs council why he had another home in Puerto Rico and his lawyer told the judge: âPuerto Rico is a developing area in the crypto space.â Russell Leeâs report also notes that Griffithâs lawyer insisted to the court that using cryptocurrency is not illegal. Griffithâs legal team also had to disclose that he had roughly $65,000 in an âold fashioned savings account.â According to Griffithâs lawyer, he has plans to go home to his parents in Alabama if granted bail. The prosecutors disagreed and stated:
[Griffith] has not given sufficient financial info. He may have misled pre-trial services: he owns the property and a shell company in Puerto Rico. Griffith told his parents he might set up a money-laundering company in North Korea. He can acquire property overseas with his digital wallet.
Ethereum Community Debates Griffithâs Criminal Charges
After hearing from both sides, Judge Moses said: âThere are no conditions to assure the defendantâs presence â Bail is denied.â The SDNY magistrate also stressed that Griffith has a month to provide transparency into his accounts. She also noted that she was âtroubled by the delay in disclosing the Puerto Rico residence.â According to the court transcription, U.S. prosecutors claimed Griffith discussed renouncing his citizenship with his parents via text messages.
A number of crypto supporters stood up for Griffithâs cause when he was arrested and influencers like John McAfee called the U.S. government âcorrupt at the core.â On Dec. 1, Ethereum inventor Vitalik Buterin spoke out against Griffithâs arrest and said he signed a petition to have him set free. âI refuse to take the convenient path of throwing Virgil under the bus, because I firmly believe that that would be wrong.â
Change.orgâs petition for Griffithâs freedom
However, not everyone agrees with Buterin and a few people believe that Griffith should not have broken the law. Well known Ethereum developer, Lefteris Karapetsas tweeted: âBecoming devilâs advocate and to answer the blogâs question as to the reason he is in jail would probably be because by traveling to North Korea as an American citizen he knowingly broke the law and went against sanctions.â âHonestly Vitalik, it doesnât matter how good of a person Virgil is, or how honorable his intentions were,â another person responded to Buterinâs statements. âHe made an incredibly stupid decision and went directly against the U.S. [government]. I very much disagree with your support of him,â he added.
At the moment, the petition for Griffithâs freedom has only 284 signatures and the goal is currently set for 500 signatures. It was initiated by cryptocurrency proponent Joseph Delong and he says heâs also contacted the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
On Monday, December 30, Virgil Griffith was granted bail by U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick. Griffith appealed Judge Mosesâ initial denial and he will be allowed to go to his parentsâ home in Alabama.
What do you think about the U.S. governmentâs charges against Virgil Griffith? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
**This article was updated at 2:00 p.m. EST on December 30, 2019.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Twitter, U.S. Attorney SDNY, Wiki Commons, and Fair Use.
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The post Ethereum Proponent Virgil Griffith Deemed a Flight Risk, Judge Denies Bail appeared first on Bitcoin News.
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