Freed – Earlybirds Invest

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here.

Welcome to The Logoff. Patrick Reis is off today: Rümeysa Öztürk was detained by the Trump administration, seemingly just for writing an op-ed. Now, in a scorching new ruling, a federal judge ordered her freed.

What’s the background? Öztürk — a Tufts University PhD student and a Turkish national — was whisked off the streets of Massachusetts by ICE agents in late March. Her arrest was part of the Trump administration effort to revoke visas from students who protested Israel’s war in Gaza.

Her detention stood out as particularly shocking because there was no indication she had ever engaged in any disruptive or lawbreaking protests. She had merely co-authored an op-ed in Tufts’ student newspaper last year that criticized the war and urged school administrators to acknowledge students’ concerns about it.

A Trump administration spokesperson anonymously claimed in March that “DHS and ICE investigations found Öztürk engaged in activities in support of Hamas.” But to this day they have conspicuously failed to produce any evidence of that — including, when Öztürk filed suit, before a judge.

What did the judge say? Judge William Sessions III ordered Öztürk released “immediately.” Ruling from the bench, he sounded appalled by the Trump administration’s conduct, which he said “chills the speech of the millions and millions of people who are not citizens.”

He said Öztürk had made “very substantial claims of First Amendment and due process violations,” and that, furthermore, the government had offered “no evidence” about their motivation for detaining her other than the op-ed.

Is this case over, then? No. Öztürk was ordered released from detention. But the question of whether the US government can legally revoke her visa remains unresolved. While Sessions sounds very likely to rule in her favor, it’s unclear if conservatives on the Supreme Court will do the same, should the case reach them. Still, this case has been an embarrassment to the Trump administration, and perhaps there’s a faint glimmer of hope they’ll decide to just drop it. Too optimistic? Probably.

And with that, it’s time to log off…

If you want some good art film recommendations, Jia Zhangke — one of the best directors working today, in my view — visited the Criterion Closet this week and picked some of his favorites. His own films are also streaming on the Criterion Channel — if you’re interested in contemplative movies about the modernization of China that suddenly drop a Village People dance track, check them out!

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Ethereum Developer’s Prison Release Confirmed By Sources

Brantly Milegan, executive director of Ethereum Identity Foundation, broke the news with a photo of Griffith and his parents outside the prison. Alexander Urbelis, ENS general counsel and part of Griffith’s legal team, confirmed his release from FCI Milan in Michigan.

VIRGIL GRIFFITH IS OUT OF PRISON!!!

just released this morning! he’ll be in a halfway house for a few weeks, and parole after that with work restrictions (so a pardon is still important), but HE IS OUT pic.twitter.com/Q4jRZmryGk

— brantly.eth (@BrantlyMillegan) April 9, 2025

Griffith was arrested in November 2019 after speaking at a cryptocurrency conference in North Korea. Prosecutors claimed his presentation provided information that could help North Korea evade sanctions and launder money.

From 63 Months To 56: The Sentence Journey

In 2022, Griffith was sentenced to 63 months in prison and meted a fine of $100,000 after pleading guilty to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. In July 2024, US District Judge Kevin Castel lowered his sentence to 56 months, citing him as a first-time offender.

ETHUSD trading at $1,598 on the daily chart: TradingView.com

Crypto Return Faces Serious Hurdles

Griffith himself starts a several-year probation term. His attorneys are fighting to transfer him from the halfway house to home confinement, but returning to regular life is hindered.

The Department of Commerce placed severe export restrictions on Virgil that will extend until 2032, Urbelis explained. These limits could block his return to the cryptocurrency field.

Presidential Pardon Possibility Under Trump Administration

Before joining Ethereum, Griffith earned a Ph.D. from Caltech and created WikiScanner, a tool tracking anonymous Wikipedia edits. He also worked with Aaron Swartz on Tor2web.

According to Urbelis, Griffith is seeking a pardon from US President Donald Trump. Trump has previously granted clemency to others in crypto-related cases, including Ross Ulbricht and Arthur Hayes.

The case has triggered debate about sharing open-source information versus helping sanctioned nations. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has supported Griffith, even signing a petition calling for his release in 2023.

Featured image from Thiessen Law Firm, chart from TradingView

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