Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith has walked free from jail.
He was serving a prison sentence after giving a presentation to a blockchain conference in North Korea. Prosecutors had alleged his speech “provided highly technical information” that could help the isolated state evade U.S. sanctions. Griffith had pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy in September 2021, and was sentenced to 63 months behind bars in April 2022. That term was reduced to 56 months last summer, opening the door for the 42-year-old to be released this month.
Alexander Urbelis—who is general counsel at ENS Labs and has been assisting with the case—confirmed Griffith’s release on X.
He shared a picture of the developer standing outside prison with his mother and father, adding: “Happy day indeed!” “The days when I’m truly proud to be a lawyer are few and far between, but this is one of those days. To be a part of making this reunion happen is an awesome power and one of the highlights of my career,” he wrote. Urbelis added that Griffith had been “counting down the days to be reborn”—and had admitted “the outside world is high stimuli.”
While Griffith’s release is great news for the Ethereum community, challenges remain.
Brantly Millegan, the former director of operations at Ethereum Name Service, says a “pardon is still important” as Griffith remains on parole—and faces severe work restrictions. “Onerous probation, aggressive export restrictions from Dep’t of Commerce, and issues of fundamental fairness persist,” Urbelis added. Those restrictions effectively preclude Griffith from working in the crypto sector indefinitely.
During the initial trial, Griffith’s lawyers had attempted to argue that the information he disclosed at the Pyongyang conference could easily have been obtained by anyone on the internet—and his speech should have been protected by the First Amendment.
And at his sentencing, the developer admitted he “genuinely, arrogant, and erroneously thought he knew better”—revealing that everyone had warned him it was a “terrible idea” to attend the event. Griffith will now spend time at a halfway house in Baltimore. Hackers sponsored by the North Korean state have stolen billions from the crypto industry in recent years—and in February, swiped more than $1.4 billion from the Bybit exchange.
Edited by Stacy Elliott.