A former Ethereum Foundation staff member Virgil Griffith is sentenced by court to serve five years in prison. In addition to imprisonment, he was ordered to pay the state $100 thousand in fines. As indicated on the official portal of the U.S. Justice Department, Griffith is accused of illegal ties with the government of North Korea.

It is specified that the developer provided the DPRK with information on the use of cryptocurrencies to overcome sanctions restrictions. According to the case file, Griffith, beginning in 2018, assisted North Korea in building a crypto industry there, particularly for mining digital currencies.

Among the episodes the former Ethereum specialist is accused of is a trip to North Korea in 2019, despite a ban by U.S. authorities. During his visit to the Asian country, Griffith told local authorities about the potential use of blockchain and digital currencies to circumvent economic restrictions.

Officials also believe the developer's plans included brokering between the Republic of Korea and the DPRK in the exchange of digital assets. In total, Virgil Griffith will have to spend 63 months in prison for all the crimes.