Spanish national Alejandro Cao de Benos and British citizen Christopher Emms became defendants in a case involving former Ethereum Foundation researcher Virgil Griffith. This was stated in a press release from the US Department of Justice.

The foreigners are allegedly collaborating with the developer to provide information to the North Korean authorities about the possibilities of using the cryptocurrency to circumvent sanctions.

According to the agency, Cao de Benos, 47, and Emms, 30, were the organizers of the blockchain conference in Pyongyang. They hired Griffith as a crypto expert and helped him attend an event in April 2019.

Griffith was arrested in November of that year. He was later charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

In January 2020, the developer was released on bail of his sister and parents’ $1 million real estate property and returned to custody in 2021.

In September 2021, Griffith pleaded guilty. In April 2022, he was sentenced to 63 months in prison and fined $100,000.

The Justice Department said it had “acted” to cover up the activities of Cao de Benos and Emms and Griffith’s role. They were accused of conspiracy to circumvent US sanctions.

The maximum penalty under this article is 20 years’ imprisonment. According to the press release, the defendants are still at large.

Recall that in April, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency, the FBI, and the US Treasury Department warned that North Korean hackers should focus on the cryptocurrency industry.

According to the Chainalysis report, in 2021, North Korean cybercriminals carried out at least seven attacks on cryptocurrency platforms, during which they stole nearly $400 million worth of digital assets.

Earlier, the UN said that the DPRK financed the development of nuclear programs through attacks on bitcoin exchanges.