The Silk Road story fails to fade away from the press. Just when we thought we have heard the last of the Silk Road case, one of the convicts is back in news. The person in question was not directly involved with the notorious deep web marketplace but was responsible for investigating it. The ex-Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges was convicted of money laundering and obstruction of justice after he obtained bitcoins belonging to Ross Ulbricht and Silk Road by illegal means during investigation. He was arrested late last week while making preparations to flee the country.
Last year, Shaun Bridges had pleaded guilty after confessing about his role in extorting bitcoins from the creator of Silk Road. He was arrested at his Maryland home by law enforcement officers while enforcing an arrest warrant. According to reports, during the time of arrest, the law enforcement officers found packed bags filled with government issue bullet-proof vests, his passport along with notarized copies of it and corporate documents of various offshore companies located in Belize, Mauritius and Nevis.
The reports suggest that Shaun Bridges was preparing to get out of the country on the day before he was supposed to commence his prison sentence. During the prosecution, Shaun Bridges was awarded a prison sentence of 71 months for stealing over $820,000 worth in bitcoin. Shaun Bridges was not the only law enforcement officer who was convicted of corruption during the course of investigation into Silk Road. Another DEA agent, Carl Force was also convicted of the charges of money laundering and wire fraud. Both Carl Force and Shaun Bridges were part of the multi-agency Baltimore Silk Road Task Force set up to bring down Silk Road and Ross Ulbricht. Ross Ulbricht is currently service life sentence in prison. The bitcoin confiscated during the investigation and arrest of Ross Ulbricht was recently auctioned off by the Us Marshal Service.
Image: The Daily Dot (Illustration by Jason Reed)