Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith has been released from federal prison and transferred to a halfway house, Bureau of Prisons officials confirmed on 9 April 2025.
According to crypto developer Brantly Millegan, Griffith is expected to remain in the halfway house for several weeks as he completes the next stages of his parole process.
His case, which began with his 2019 arrest for presenting at a blockchain conference in North Korea, has become one of the most high-profile legal incidents involving a blockchain developer and the US government.
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Griffith Arrested For Blockchain Lecture Allegedly Aiding North Korea Sanctions Evasion
Griffith was originally arrested after giving a lecture in Pyongyang. The US authorities said that the lecture provided “highly technical information” about blockchain technology. Furthermore, it could potentially aid North Korea in evading US sanctions.
The US government charged Griffith with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
IEEPA restricts American citizens from engaging in unauthorized economic interactions with foreign adversaries.
While Griffith’s presentation included information readily available online, the government argued that sharing it directly with a sanctioned regime still constituted a legal violation.
In January 2020, a grand jury indicted him on conspiracy charges under the IEEPA. Initially pleading not guilty, Griffith’s defense attempted to dismiss the case, arguing that his actions did not breach the law.
VIRGIL GRIFFITH IS OUT OF PRISON!!!
just released this morning! he’ll be in a halfway house for a few weeks, and parole after that with work restrictions (so a pardon is still important), but HE IS OUT
pic.twitter.com/Q4jRZmryGk
— brantly.eth (@BrantlyMillegan) April 9, 2025
In September 2021, after nearly two years of legal proceedings, Griffith accepted a plea deal. He admitted to violating US sanctions laws. He was sentenced in April 2022 to 63 months in prison and fined $100,000.
Efforts to reduce his sentence followed. In April 2024, Griffith’s legal team filed a motion for a sentence reduction. The plea met with opposition from federal prosecutors who maintained that his actions posed a national security risk.
Despite this, Judge Kevin Castel granted a sentence reduction in July 2024. Griffith’s prison term was shortened to 56 months.
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Inside North Korea’s Billion-Dollar Crypto Heists: Funding Nukes In Shadows
North Korea has taken crypto hacking to a state-sponsored level, with its Lazarus Group reportedly stealing billions in digital assets to support its heavily sanctioned economy and nuclear weapons program.
In a major incident in February 2025, Lazarus stole $1.5 billion from crypto exchange Bybit, employing sophisticated tactics like fake job offers, malicious apps, and multi-chain fund laundering to evade detection.
Since 2017, the regime is believed to have executed over 50 similar attacks, accumulating nearly $3 billion in illicit crypto.
Despite some indictments and public warnings from U.S. authorities, enforcing sanctions and recovering stolen funds remains a massive challenge due to crypto’s anonymous and decentralized nature.
In addition to cyberattacks, North Korea also uses forged documents and convoluted trade routes to acquire sensitive nuclear technology, highlighting the regime’s growing reliance on unconventional tools to sustain and advance its weapons ambitions.
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Key Takeaways
- Ethereum researcher Virgil Griffith has been released from prison and moved to a halfway house as part of his parole process.
- Griffith was arrested in 2019 for giving a blockchain lecture in North Korea, violating U.S. sanctions laws.
- After a plea deal and sentence reduction, he is now serving the final phase of his 56-month sentence.
The post Ethereum Researcher Virgil Griffith Released From Prison, Moves to Halfway House appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
