Virgil Griffith, a former Ethereum developer who labored on the Ethereum Identify Service (ENS), has been released from prison on parole and relocated to a midway home.
Updates posted on X on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, disclosed that Griffith is now beginning his return to civilian life after serving a few of his sentence for violating US sanctions.
Ethereum Developer’s Jail Launch Confirmed By Sources
Brantly Milegan, government director of Ethereum Identification Basis, broke the information with a photograph of Griffith and his dad and mom outdoors the jail. Alexander Urbelis, ENS normal counsel and a part of Griffith’s authorized crew, confirmed his launch from FCI Milan in Michigan.
VIRGIL GRIFFITH IS OUT OF PRISON!!!
simply launched this morning! he’ll be in a midway home for a number of weeks, and parole after that with work restrictions (so a pardon continues to be essential), however HE IS OUT
pic.twitter.com/Q4jRZmryGk
— brantly.eth (@BrantlyMillegan) April 9, 2025
Griffith was arrested in November 2019 after talking at a cryptocurrency convention in North Korea. Prosecutors claimed his presentation supplied info that might assist North Korea evade sanctions and launder cash.
From 63 Months To 56: The Sentence Journey
In 2022, Griffith was sentenced to 63 months in jail and meted a positive of $100,000 after pleading guilty to the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act. In July 2024, US District Decide Kevin Castel lowered his sentence to 56 months, citing him as a first-time offender.
ETHUSD buying and selling at $1,598 on the day by day chart: TradingView.com
Crypto Return Faces Critical Hurdles
Griffith himself begins a several-year probation time period. His attorneys are combating to switch him from the midway home to house confinement, however returning to common life is hindered.
The Division of Commerce positioned extreme export restrictions on Virgil that may prolong till 2032, Urbelis defined. These limits may block his return to the cryptocurrency discipline.
Presidential Pardon Risk Underneath Trump Administration
Earlier than becoming a member of Ethereum, Griffith earned a Ph.D. from Caltech and created WikiScanner, a software monitoring nameless Wikipedia edits. He additionally labored with Aaron Swartz on Tor2web.
In response to Urbelis, Griffith is in search of a pardon from US President Donald Trump. Trump has beforehand granted clemency to others in crypto-related instances, together with Ross Ulbricht and Arthur Hayes.
The case has triggered debate about sharing open-source information versus serving to sanctioned nations. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has supported Griffith, even signing a petition calling for his launch in 2023.
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