US cryptocurrency expert Virgil Griffith charged with helping North Korea evade sanctions

The Singapore resident travelled to Pyongyang via China despite being denied permission by US Department of State, prosecutors say

While there, Griffith allegedly spoke about using cryptocurrency technology to circumvent sanctions and launder money

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A child drives an electric toy car across Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang in September. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:45am, 30 Nov 2019Updated: 9:48pm, 30 Nov 2019

A prominent American cryptocurrency expert has been charged for travelling to North Korea to teach the regime to use blockchain technology to evade economic sanctions, the United States Department of Justice said.

Virgil Griffith, 36, was charged with violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which prohibits US nationals from exporting goods, services or technology to North Korea without approval from the Treasury Department. It carries a maximum 20-year prison term.

The programmer, who lives in Singapore and works for the blockchain and cryptocurrency developer Ethereum, was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Thursday, the Justice Department said.

Griffith travelled to North Korea via China in April this year to deliver a presentation called “Blockchain and Peace” at the Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference, even after the US government had denied his request to go to the country.

A screen grab of Virgil Griffith's Twitter account. Image: Twitter

US federal prosecutors said Griffith secured a visa through “a (North Korean) diplomatic mission facility” in Manhattan for €100 (US$110) before his trip.

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