In a shocking development, Virgil Griffith, an Ethereum developer accused of helping the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, pleaded guilty during his trial at the Southern District of New York on Sept. 27.
Griffith's only charge was one of conspiracy to violate sanction laws.
He is now facing up to 6.5 years behind bars.
His sentencing is expected to take place on Jan. 13.
Griffith was arrested back in November 2019 by American law enforcement after giving a speech at a North Korean cryptocurrency conference.
The Ethereum researcher was accused of teaching the regime about how to circumvent U.S. sanctions with the help of blockchain technology.
In its complaint, the U.S. Justice Department claimed that Griffith was aware of the fact that his speech would break the law.
Griffith was initially looking at a maximum prison term of 20 years.
Vladislav Sopov