U.S. Agent Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Silk Road Bitcoin Theft

December 8, 2024 by
U.S. Agent Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Silk Road Bitcoin Theft

It was announced yesterday that a government agent was found guilty of stealing $820,000 in bitcoins while investigating an online drug emporium.

As a result, Shaun Bridges was sentenced on Monday to nearly six years in prison for what one prosecutor called a “breathtaking abuse of trust.”

Bridges, who formerly worked for the Secret Service, took control of the account of an administrator for the Silk Road black market website to syphon off bitcoins.

The reason for the rather harsh sentence came down to the fact that the administrator holding the account was working as a government informant, and was put in dangerous waters when the founder of Silk Road assumed he was a thief, and subsequently attempted to have him killed.

In addition, a former Drug Enforcement Administration agent who worked alongside with Bridges on the Silk Road probe was sentenced back in October six and a half years in prison after he too pleaded guilty to stealing bitcoins.

The investigation in the Internet bazaar for drugs,and other illegal operations also has led to the conviction of founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced back in May to life in prison.

Related Articles