Oct 26, 2020 at 00:48 UTCUpdated Oct 26, 2020 at 00:55 UTC.Virgil Griffith's lawyer has filed a motion to dismiss the U.S. government's charges that the Ethereum developer violated sanctions law by speaking at a North Korean cryptocurrency conference.
The motion, filed by attorney Brian Klein, claims the government's late-2019 indictment of Griffith doesn't "Specify any alleged overt facts," and contains no actual allegation of fact.
Griffith was arrested last November on charges he violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and executive orders by going to North Korea and speaking during a crypto conference, where he allegedly taught government officials how to use the techology to bypass economic sanctions.
It's the first sanctions case in a U.S. court involving cryptocurrency, and as such is likely to be closely watched.
The results could hold a precedent for other cases the government might bring under the law, as the U.S. continues adding individuals and entities to its sanctions lists.
Klein's motion to dismiss claims that the President of the United States does not have the authority to prohibit the transmission of information, and that the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Treasury Department division overseeing sanctions enforcement, has "Issued no regulations and published no guidance to clarify the definition of 'services'" that are otherwise prohibited under executive orders.
"It appears that the government's theory is that, by attending and speaking at a blockchain conference in Pyongyang, Mr. Griffith provided 'services' because he 'provided the DPRK with valuable information on blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, and participated in discussions regarding using cryptocurrency technologies to evade sanctions and launder money,'" the motion said.
According to Klein, Griffith only provided information that was already in the public domain.
The next step in the case is likely a government response to Klein's motion.
Virgil Griffith's Attorney Files Motion to Dismiss Sanctions Charges
Published on Oct 26, 2020
by Coindesk | Published on Coinage
Coinage
Mentioned in this article
Recent News
View All
Blockchain Bites: Bitcoin's Run, Uniswap's Hemorrhaging Value, Anchorage's Banking Bid
Bitcoin is nearing all-time highs in price and market cap last set three years ago.
Japan's megabanks to lead experiment with digital yen
We have, in order, Cheese Bank with a $3.3 million theft, Akropolis with its $2 million loss, Value DeFi with a whopping $6 million exploit and finally Origin Protocol's loss of $7 million.
Number of new Bitcoin addresses spikes amid growing FOMO
Japan's three largest banks, as part of a group of 30 private sector actors, are set to collaborate on an experiment with a digital yen.
Not just Wall Street: Quant trader explains why Bitcoin price is going up
Sam Trabucco, a quantitative trader at Alameda Research, believes four general factors are pushing up the price of Bitcoin.