Bitcoin Forum

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Arrest Of United States Citizen For Assisting North Korea In Evading Sanctions

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John Brown, Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Counterintelligence Division, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI, announced today the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging VIRGIL GRIFFITH, a United States citizen, with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) by traveling to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“DPRK” or “North Korea”) in order deliver a presentation and technical advice on using cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to evade sanctions.  GRIFFITH was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday and will be presented in federal court in Los Angeles later today.

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman stated:  “As alleged, Virgil Griffith provided highly technical information to North Korea, knowing that this information could be used to help North Korea launder money and evade sanctions.  In allegedly doing so, Griffith jeopardized the sanctions that both Congress and the president have enacted to place maximum pressure on North Korea’s dangerous regime.”

What can you say about this moved by the US government though? Did Virgil broke any laws here that constitute an arrest?

But we can't certain what advise he gives to North Korea though, obviously there will be no videos here. But let's see what US Attorney will present in this case.

I doubt how they collected these information unless they are monitoring every communication, it is interesting how the US attorney will be presenting the case and what evidence they have against him and how they collected those information to begin with and i would like to know these technical things and what is shared to launder money and evade sanctions, is there a magical recipe  :D and i guess they will come up with a finding that North Korea is using bitcoin to counter sanctions ;D.

But we can't certain what advise he gives to North Korea though, obviously there will be no videos here. But let's see what US Attorney will present in this case.

I support US government's move in this case! Let's not see it as an arrest of a crypto programmer to teach crypto technicalities! We also need to see where he had bestowed his crypto knowledge! North Korea is a dangerous country and with power in their hand, they can become a big threat to the world! So US government has taken the right step! The dictator of North korea is a psychopath and he can ruin the entire world! Helping such a terrorist, is definitely not a good deed!

The ban on employing North Korean workers in the construction sectors of Russia, China, and other countries deprived tens of thousands of North Korean workers of potential earnings, hurting workers and their families. Sanctions have hampered the activities of humanitarian agencies and foundations (U.S.-based humanitarian agencies have faced additional difficulties following the United States’ ban on travel to North Korea). As a result, large areas of the country face increased food insecurity and a shortage of vital medicines. The ban on imports of a number of goods (including oil and petroleum products in excess of volumes allowed by UNSC Resolutions, as well as luxury goods and foodstuffs) has fueled a growth in smuggling and “gray” import volumes as well as foreign-flagged vessel operations. In general, the number of intermediaries in supply chains has increased, meaning more suppliers along the way are charging an excess fare for “risks” undertaken, thus making the final cost of goods unaffordable for ordinary North Koreans.

Judge Broderick tells Virgil Griffith, "Laws in this country are not suggestions... Assisting foreign governments with money laundering is illegal."

And it looks like there is a verdict already  :):

I think the guy was noble for wanting to teach others, especially within a country like Korea but really he didn't practice his due diligence and is now facing the harshest of consequences.

I think the guy was noble for wanting to teach others, especially within a country like Korea but really he didn't practice his due diligence and is now facing the harshest of consequences. North Korea has a lot of smoke with the U.S, mainly because of all of the threats they have made to wipe it out. This guy Virgil is extremely lucky that he isn't being tried for treason or worse. He could at least have went to contact Dennis Rodman for help first, they literally love Rodman over there more than Michael Jordan as weird as it may sound.

If it were down to nobility he would've gone to Liberia to pass on his knowledge to recovering child soldiers. Instead he went straight to the capital of a regime that does not have a great deal of love in its heart for where he's from and is known to be using crypto to prop itself up.

It'll be interesting to see what the actual story is. I'm sure many people would be curious to attend something like that. Maybe he was paid to be there and knew why he was there. Maybe he was simply lured into a conversation to hand over some knowledge.

I think the guy was noble for wanting to teach others, especially within a country like Korea but really he didn't practice his due diligence and is now facing the harshest of consequences. North Korea has a lot of smoke with the U.S, mainly because of all of the threats they have made to wipe it out. This guy Virgil is extremely lucky that he isn't being tried for treason or worse. He could at least have went to contact Dennis Rodman for help first, they literally love Rodman over there more than Michael Jordan as weird as it may sound.

I'm not saying Virgil Griffith is guilty but the judge already agreed with a bail and he also doesn't view him as a flight risk whatsoever he even has a clean record on had to convince the judge even more. Another thing that makes me don't jump into any conclusion is I know for a fact that the authorities in the US are having several kinds of these witch hunts for far too long to sense that on matters like this so I cannot say that the US is seeing things clearly here or they are just easy to accuse someone on things they haven't really done.

If it's proven then it's an extremely straightforward case. He went to an enemy of the US under almost universal sanctions and educated them further in how to evade them. It doesn't really get much more simple than that.

The nature of cryptocurrency and the nature of the DPRK's way of operating would make it a screaming no to me at least.