Ex-Ether developer Virgil Griffith locked up in prison after breaking sanctions: WSJ

Virgil Griffith, a former developer at the Ethereum Foundation, the company behind cryptocurrency Ethereum (ETH-USD), has been sentenced to 63 months in prison and was fined $100K after giving a lecture in North Korea on using blockchain to circumvent sanctions, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The sentencing comes on the heels of Griffith pleading guilt in Sept. 2021 to advising North Korea on how to use blockchain technology for money laundering and other illegal activities, according to the WSJ. Specifically, he violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which doesn't allow U.S. citizens to export goods, services or technology to sanctioned nations like North Korea, the WSJ explained. In turn, the crypto expert's career at the Ethereum Foundation was ruined and his arrest has embarrassed his family, he said during a hearing Tuesday, as reported by the WSJ. “I have learned my lesson,” he added. In February, the DOJ arrested