diff --git a/ethereumj-core/build.gradle b/ethereumj-core/build.gradle
index 2193be25..5b2e794e 100644
--- a/ethereumj-core/build.gradle
+++ b/ethereumj-core/build.gradle
@@ -59,7 +59,6 @@ dependencies {
     compile "org.slf4j:slf4j-log4j12:${slf4jVersion}" // TODO: runtime scope
     compile "log4j:log4j:${log4jVersion}"
     compile "log4j:apache-log4j-extras:${log4jVersion}"
-    compile "com.googlecode.json-simple:json-simple:1.1.1"
     compile "org.codehaus.jackson:jackson-mapper-asl:1.9.13"
     compile "com.google.code.findbugs:jsr305:3.0.0"
     compile "com.fasterxml.jackson.core:jackson-databind:2.2.0"
@@ -71,6 +70,9 @@ dependencies {
     compile "org.hibernate:hibernate-core:${hibernateVersion}"
     compile "org.hibernate:hibernate-entitymanager:${hibernateVersion}"
     compile "commons-dbcp:commons-dbcp:1.4"
+    compile("com.googlecode.json-simple:json-simple:1.1.1") {
+        exclude group:'junit', module:'junit'
+    }
     testCompile "junit:junit:${junitVersion}"
     testCompile "org.springframework:spring-test:${springVersion}"
 }
diff --git a/ethereumj-core/src/test/java/test/ethereum/vm/VMTest.java b/ethereumj-core/src/test/java/test/ethereum/vm/VMTest.java
index ba87577d..344d2f70 100644
--- a/ethereumj-core/src/test/java/test/ethereum/vm/VMTest.java
+++ b/ethereumj-core/src/test/java/test/ethereum/vm/VMTest.java
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 package test.ethereum.vm;
 
-import junit.framework.Assert;
 import org.ethereum.facade.Repository;
 import org.ethereum.util.ByteUtil;
 import org.ethereum.vm.*;