Rejected: United States Authorities Arrest One of Her Citizens for Sharing Blockchain and Crypto Regulatory Evasion Knowledge with North Korean Citizens

A United States citizen by the name of Virgil Griffith, a developer at Ethereum, was arrested by the United States Attorney for supposedly teaching the citizens of North Korea how to use blockchain and cryptocurrency to evade regulations. Arrested on November 28 at Los Angeles International Airport, Griffith was meant to be  presented in federal court in Los Angeles on the 29th.

John Demers, the  Assistant Attorney General for National Security, said that Griffith neglected all the warnings against going to North Korea to teach the citizens how to evade sanction through blockchain and cryptocurrency.

"By this complaint, we begin the process of seeking justice for such conduct," Demers commented.

In support of Demers, Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, opined that it assumed that Griffith taught North Koreans high technical information which he knew that could enable them to engage in money laundering activities and evade regulations, Berman maintained that:

"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."

There are reasons for placing sanctions on North Koreans. William F. Sweeney Jr., FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge, said, stressing that North Korea as a country and its leader pose a threat to the United States' national security and that of their allies.  He noted that Griffith traveled to the country without seeking permission from the United States government.

"We cannot allow anyone to evade sanctions, because the consequences of North Korea obtaining funding, technology, and information to further its desire to build nuclear weapons put the world at risk.  It’s even more egregious that a U.S. citizen allegedly chose to aid our adversary," he said.