For advising North Korea on crypto, Briton arrested in Russia at US request

It’s a scene worthy of a diplomatic incident that involves four countries that aren’t too friendly. At the heart of the story is a certain Christopher Douglas Emms. He is a British national and a crypto investor. He was wanted with an Interpol red notice for advising North Korea on cryptocurrencies. He was arrested in Moscow at the request of the United States government.

North Korea’s history with cryptocurrencies is experiencing a new episode. After being cited in a file for hacking crypto platforms, the country is accused of violating American sanctions thanks to cryptocurrency. This is how a Briton named Christopher Emms was arrested by Russian police at the request of Washington. Indeed, US authorities claim the man helped the Pyongyang regime evade sanctions using digital assets. He was apprehended in a hostel in Moscow. ” Interpol’s Russian office arrested a Briton wanted by Interpol at the request of the United States “, revealed the Russian channel Telegram Baza. US authorities claim he was helping North Koreans circumvent sanctions using cryptography.

Who is Christopher Emms?

Christopher Emms, 31, is a British citizen and businessman in the crypto industry. He is accused of committing fraud against the US government. As a reminder, in early 2018, Emms planned and organized the “Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference“. He also recruited a cryptocurrency expert from the United States and arranged his trip to the country in April 2019 for the event.

Both answered questions about cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology from the North Korean public, including people working for the Pyongyang government. They also proposed plans to create smart contracts for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and mapped crypto transactions designed to avoid US sanctions.

A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Chris Emms

Despite the measures taken to conceal their activity, his friend, a cryptography expert, was arrested in November 2019, which disrupted the scheme. Indeed, the Briton and his co-conspirator Alejandro Cao de Benós, a Spanish political activist closely linked to North Korea, never obtained authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department to provide services to Korea as required by US law.

A federal arrest warrant was issued against Christopher Emms in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York on January 27, 2022, after the British citizen was charged with conspiracy to violate theIEEPA.

For Washington, Christopher Emms was conspiring to violate US sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) by working with a US citizen to illegally provide services related to blockchain technology as well as cryptocurrencies to Pyongyang. Interpol also said Emms was known to have resided in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and had been in Saudi Arabia around March 2022. He also had various business interests in several jurisdictions, including the United Arab Emirates, Malta, the Gibraltar and many other countries.

This new case comes on top of North Korea’s tumultuous history with crypto. With the countless cases of rule violation and exchange hacking involving North Korea, what do you think of the future of cryptocurrency in this East Asian country? As for Chris Emms, will Russia extradite him to the United States or will it use his services to circumvent its sanctions using cryptocurrency?

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