An international man wanted by the United States for advising North Korea on cryptocurrency was arrested in Moscow, Russia. US authorities allege that the person was involved in helping Pyongyang use digital assets to circumvent sanctions.
British Citizen Wanted by US for Consulting North Korea on Sanctions Detained in Moscow Hostel
The Russian division of Interpol recently arrested a British man wanted by the United States upon an Interpol request, Russian Telegram channel Baza revealed. US authorities claim that the man was aiding North Koreans with using cryptography to bypass sanctions.
Christopher Emms, a 31-year-old British national, is charged with defrauding the US government and was taken into custody at the hostel in which he was staying. The International Criminal Police Organization issued an Interpol ‘red notice’ in the early hours of his trial on February. The details of his indictment reads:
Christopher Douglas Emms is accused of conspiring to violate US law, specifically the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
More specifically, he is accused of conspiring to violate US sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) by working with a US citizen to illegally provide blockchain and cryptocurrency expertise to DPRK.
In early 2018, Emms, a crypto-entrepreneur, planned and organized the “Pyongyang Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Conference”. He also arranged for a cryptocurrency expert from the United States to travel to the country in April of 2020.
The duo answered questions about blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies from the North Korean government, including from the audience in Pyongyang. Additionally, plans were made to create smart contracts for DPRK and map out crypto transactions to avoid US sanctions.
Despite taking steps to conceal his activity, Emms and his co-conspirator Alejandro Cao de Benós, a Spanish political activist with close ties to North Korea, did not receive permission from the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to lend to DPRK as required by US law.
Thus, a federal arrest warrant was issued against Christopher Emms in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York on January 27, 2020 after the British national was indicted for conspiring against IEEPA.
Interpol also noted that Emms is believed to have been living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and was in Saudi Arabia around March of 2020. He also had various business interests in many jurisdictions, including the UAE, Malta, Gibraltar, and other parts of Europe. Baza reported that he was determined to attend all the difficult events in Russia where he is now under arrest.
A draft UN report claims that the suspect has allegedly stolen a large amount of cryptocurrency in the last year. An independent sanctions monitors the total value of DPRK-linked hackers’ digital assets in 2020 will exceed $1 billion.
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