A federal judge has granted a motion to reduce the sentence for former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith, who pleaded guilty to violating sanctions on North Korea.
In a July 16 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Kevin Castel signed off on an order reducing Griffith’s previously imposed sentence of 63 months in prison to 56 months. Judge Castel said the sentence would be effective as of Aug. 2, suggesting he would be eligible for release in January 2025.
Griffith spoke at a cryptocurrency and blockchain conference in the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang in 2019, giving more than one presentation about how the country could use crypto to evade sanctions and for money laundering. He pleaded guilty in 2021 before his criminal trial was expected to begin, and in April 2022, he was sentenced to 63 months in prison and ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.
In April 2024, the legal team representing the Ethereum developer filed a motion requesting the court consider reducing the recommended sentence range for Griffith’s conviction from 63 to 78 months’ imprisonment to 51 to 63 months. Prosecutors argued that he “chose to evade” US sanctions and cited disciplinary actions imposed by authorities while in prison.
“The need to protect the public from further crimes of this defendant has somewhat dissipated, although the Court does note the defendant’s ‘rule infractions’ while in [Bureau of Prisons] custody,” said Judge Castel in the July 16 order. “The Court also takes note of the significant hardships the defendant has experienced while incarcerated. The need to impose just punishment for this serious offense, to promote respect for law, and to deter others from committing similar crimes, however, tilts against a substantial sentence reduction.”
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During his sentencing hearing in April 2022, Griffith said he had been “cured” of his “obsession with North Korea,” given the example set by sanctions on Russia in response to the country’s attack on Ukraine. Judge Castel said at the time that the Ethereum developer had no ideology and would likely “play off both sides, as long as he is at the center.”
Other high-profile figures in the crypto space, including former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, are already serving time in prison following guilty pleas or criminal convictions. Starting in October, a New York judge will oversee sentencing hearings for two FTX executives who reached plea agreements with prosecutors.
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