Attorneys representing the USA authorities have filed a authorized memo opposing the dismissal of fees for Virgil Griffith, a former Ethereum Basis researcher accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions in opposition to the Democratic Folks’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

In keeping with courtroom information filed Nov. 19 within the Southern District of New York, prosecutors’ referred to Griffith’s Oct. 22 argument to dismiss the fees in opposition to him as “unavailing.” The authorized crew is alleging the previous Ethereum Basis researcher offered a service to the DPRK by utilizing an analogy of a U.S. citizen offering nuclear secrets and techniques to scientists within the reclusive nation:

“A easy hypothetical lays naked the absurdity of Griffith’s place. By Griffith’s logic, the [North Korea Sanctions Regulations] would allow an American physicist to journey to the DPRK and clarify the science behind nuclear weapons to a convention of North Korean physicists, as long as the science could possibly be discovered on the Web, he obtained no price, and the regime’s need to construct nuclear weapons was not financial in nature.”

The U.S. district courtroom indicted Griffith in January on fees of conspiracy to violate the Worldwide Emergency Financial Powers Act following a presentation he made at a North Korean convention in April. The speech allegedly contained info North Korean brokers might use to bypass financial sanctions with cryptocurrency and blockchain know-how.

Federal authorities are alleging Griffith knew that the DPRK was particularly keen on strategies to get round sanctions utilizing blockchain. They declare Griffith texted an affiliate, stating he was planning to facilitate the transaction of 1 Ether (ETH) “between North and South Korea,” figuring out that it might violate sanctions.

Griffith has argued that his presentation was a “extremely basic speech based mostly on publicly out there info,” that he obtained no price for his participation, and the speech had no “financial utility.” Due to this fact, he claims the fees are with out advantage and the speech protected beneath the First Modification.

Nonetheless, the authorized memo states Griffith admitted he “launched ideas” on crypto and blockchain to the convention attendees in his interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigations final Could and November, and a few North Koreans seemingly left with a greater understanding of methods to use the know-how to bypass sanctions.

The case in opposition to Griffith is ongoing. He has pleaded not responsible to the fees and is at present free on a $1 million bond.