Questions about Virgil Griffith

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was Virgil Griffith born and where did he grow up?

Virgil Griffith was born in 1983 and grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He graduated from the Alabama School of Math and Science in 2002 before studying cognitive science at the University of Alabama.

What software projects did Virgil Griffith create during his career?

On the 14th of August 2007, Griffith released WikiScanner to track Wikipedia edits back to their source IP addresses. Two years later, he designed the Tor2web proxy alongside Aaron Swartz to bridge anonymous networks with standard web browsers.

Why was Virgil Griffith arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the 28th of November 2019?

Agents alleged that Virgil Griffith provided highly technical information knowing it could help North Korea launder money. He discussed means for evading economic sanctions during his return to the United States after visiting Pyongyang.

How long was Virgil Griffith imprisoned following his guilty plea on the 28th of September 2021?

Sentencing occurred on the 12th of April 2022, resulting in sixty-three months imprisonment for conspiring to violate laws relating to money laundering using cryptocurrency and sanctions related to North Korea. Ten months counted as time served from pre-trial detention.

When was Virgil Griffith released from prison and what were the conditions of his release?

Virgil Griffith was released from prison on the 9th of April 2025 after serving his sentence at FCI Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania and FCI Milan in Michigan. The United States Department Commerce subsequently imposed a ten-year export privilege ban on him.