Yahya 
A strategic and timely plea for sentence mitigation was filed by the attorneys for former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith, who seeks a reduction of his 63-month sentence. Griffith, whose case was concluded in 2022 with a guilty verdict for providing North Korea with blockchain technology, is asking for a new sentence of at most 51 months since the U.S. sanctions regulations have changed in the interim. In the petition, the lawyer, Glen Garrett McGorty, expresses his thought of new penal reformation that will be applied via his letter, adressed to Judge Kevin Castel of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Griffith Seeks Reduction from 63 to 51 Months in Prison
Griffith was convicted of his part in the conference held in North Korea, he gave logistic support to the free market exchange despite the American sanctions against the country. The appeal asserts Griffith should have earned a two-point reduction due to his zero-point offender status (per the amended guidelines). Such adjustment, if exclusively applicable, would change the offense level from 26 to 24, and reduce the sentence from one year or more.
The letter asks the court to order that the U.S. Probation Office of the court should revise the pre-sentence investigation report and date the hearing for resentencing. In addition, the order asks for a briefing schedule so that the defense shall make any needed updates as well as present new arguments in support of the first request.
Legal Maneuver Based on Revised U.S. Sentencing Guidelines
As a noteworthy incorporation, a “zero-point” offender designation which applies to the first-time offender who has the criteria of a lower recidivism risk. Griffith’s lawsuit was filed despite his ongoing litigation with the unlawful 10-year export authorization ban that was put in place by the United States Department of Commerce in May 2023. This prohibition restricts Griffith from fulfilling any deals that include the commodities, software or technology and lie under the U.S export regulations, increasing the level of complication.
During the last days of the legal proceeding former Ethereum developer Griffith and his law team are anxiously awaiting the court’s decision on his petitions for a lesser sentence which could nicely affect his term in jail and his future life.