Virgil Griffith, Former Ethereum Developer, Released from Prison, Seeks Pardon for North Korea Visit
Former Ethereum Developer Virgil Griffith Released, Files for Pardon
Griffith pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiring to violate international sanctions after speaking at a crypto conference in Pyongyang in 2019.
Author: Cheyenne Ligon | Edited by: Sheldon Rebeck April 9, 2025, 4:23 PM
Key points:
- Virgil Griffith, who previously worked on Ethereum, has been released from prison after his sentence was reduced to 56 months.
- Griffith was convicted of attending a cryptocurrency conference in North Korea in 2019, in violation of existing sanctions.
- He is asking for clemency.
Virgil Griffith, who was convicted of attending a crypto conference in North Korea in 2019, has been released from prison and is headed to a rehabilitation center, according to his lawyer Alexander Urbelis.
Urbelis, the general counsel for Ethereum Name Service who also represented Griffith, posted on X on Wednesday a photo of the recently released Griffith with his parents, taken in front of FCI Milan, the low-security prison in Michigan where he spent part of his 56-month sentence.
“I am very happy to announce that VIRGIL IS GONE!” Urbelis wrote. “This is truly a joyful day.”
Griffith was arrested in November 2019, seven months after returning from North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, where he attended a crypto conference. At the event, Griffith gave a presentation on Ethereum and demonstrated how the cryptocurrency could be used to circumvent sanctions against the country. Although he initially fought the charges, Griffith pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate international sanctions in 2021.
The New York judge handling his case sentenced him to a $100,000 fine and 63 months (just over five years) in prison — well short of the possible 20-year sentence he faced if he lost at trial. Last year, Griffith’s lawyers were able to get his sentence reduced to 56 months, citing his status as a first-time offender.
Griffith has been incarcerated since mid-2021. Although he was initially released on bail following his arrest, a judge sent him back to jail in New York to await trial after he violated bail conditions by attempting to access his cryptocurrency account to pay his lawyers.
Urbelis told CoinDesk that Griffith's legal team is hoping to have him transferred from a rehab center in Baltimore to house arrest as soon as possible.
“But the long-term consequences remain: Virgil will be forced to undergo a lengthy probationary period of several years, the terms of which have not yet been determined,” Urbelis said. “In addition, the Commerce Department has imposed strict export restrictions on Virgil until 2032, which will make his life significantly more difficult.”
According to Urbelis, restrictions imposed by the Commerce Department prohibit Griffith from participating directly or indirectly in any transactions involving software or technology that could be exported from the United States, making it virtually impossible for him to return to the crypto industry.
Griffith seeks clemency from President Donald T.
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