Christopher Emms, a 31-year-old British citizen, was arrested in Moscow by the Russian Interpol Bureau today, February 21st. Emms is wanted by the US government for plotting with North Korea to violate the sanctions imposed on the latter country.
The US stated that in 2018, Christopher Emms, a Spanish national, and Virgil Griffith, a former Ethereum developer, provided the North Korean government with sufficient information on how to exploit cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to avoid sanctions and money laundering.
Griffith, according to the Washington Post, presented talks on the use of smart contracts and blockchain technology at the blockchain and cryptocurrency conference in Pyongyang. The FBI arrested him in November 2019. He was sentenced to 63 months in jail after pleading guilty to the charges filed against him.
In September 2022, the U.S. placed Emms on an 8-month travel ban and was expected to be extradited from Saudi Arabia to the U.S. to face legal action. However, with the efforts of Radha Stirling, the founder of Due Process International, a non-governmental organization that defends human rights against international enforcement agencies, he won the case.
Stirling calls the extradition a politically-driven witch hunt against crypto entrepreneurs and decentralized finance. He claims Emms is not an American citizen and is not accountable to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Saudi Arabia rejected the request, saying it had no sound legal basis.
Emms travelled to Russia after the ban was lifted, hoping the U.S. wouldn’t be able to extradite him. However, that was not the case. The U.S. Interpol issued a red notice for Christopher Emms and requested an arrest. He was detained in his hotel and later placed on arrest.
The United States Department of Justice is known for its rigorous investigation and punishment of those who violate the law. They are invested in protecting their citizens from any harm whatsoever.
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