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Over $3 billion worth in bitcoin seized by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), belonging to Silk Road, are likely linked to a former U.S. Secret Service agent. The latest findings suggest that \u201cIndividual X\u201d is, in fact, Shaun Bridges.<\/strong><\/p>\n Per recent court filings, cited by Fortune<\/a>, the 69,370 bitcoins taken by the law enforcement also have possible ties with Carl Mark Force IV, a former official from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Both agents were part of the investigations related to the now-defunct darknet marketplace.<\/p>\n Although the report cannot be taken as a legal confirmation of Bridges\u2019 relation with the BTC<\/a> seized, Fortune pointed out that some clues in a DOJ statement shed some light about it:<\/p>\n Individual X was able to hack into Silk Road and gain unauthorized and illegal access to Silk Road and thereby steal the illicit cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s worth noting that the disgraced U.S. Secret Service agent was convicted for using an informant\u2019s credentials in the Silk Road case to steal BTC<\/a> from the vendors. He got a sentence of 71 months in prison in 2015.<\/p>\n Afterward, Bridges served an additional two-year sentence in 2017 after pleading guilty to money laundering charges. He\u2019s expected to be a free man in November 2021, as he\u2019s still in a Nashville federal prison.<\/p>\n <\/ins> <\/ins> <\/p>\n However, more clues arose during the whole case after some reports made the headlines in 2016. Bridges planned unsuccessfully to flee<\/a> the country, as he tried to apply for citizenship in foreign countries.<\/p>\n Fortune says such a flight plan could suggest that he might have other secret crypto wallets to fund its escape.<\/p>\n As of now, the \u201cIndividual X\u201d wallet contains a similar amount \u2014 of the BTC<\/a> seized<\/a> \u2014 in other cryptos such as bitcoin cash (BCH<\/a>), bitcoin gold (BTG), and bitcoinsv (BSV<\/a>).<\/p>\n According to court filings, Ross Ulbricht \u2014 who the U.S. government claims is the mastermind behind Silk Road and currently spends a double life imprisonment sentence \u2014 stated that he wouldn\u2019t take any legal claims BTC<\/a> seized.<\/p>\nBridges Is Set to Be Freed in November<\/h2>\n
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Disgraced US Agent Likely Has Secret Crypto Wallets<\/h2>\n