WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th April, 2022) A US Federal court sentenced Virgil Griffith to five years and two months in prison for helping North Korea evade United States sanctions, the Justice Department said in a press release.
"A US citizen who conspired to provide services to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), including technical advice on using cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to evade sanctions, was sentenced to 63 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)," the release said on Tuesday.
Griffith, 39, made plans as early as 2018 to develop and fund cryptocurrency infrastructure for individuals in North Korea, which he knew could be used by Pyongyang to evade US sanctions, the release said.
The funds would be used to fund North Korea's nuclear weapons program and other illegal activities, the release said.
Griffith, who lived in Singapore, traveled to North Korea in 2019 despite the US Department of State denying him permission to travel to the country, the release added.
While in North Korea, Griffith attended a conference in Pyongyang to provide instruction on how North Korea could use cryptocurrency and blockchain technology to avoid US sanctions, according to the release.
