My name is blake benthall, and i am 26 years old, he said. Feds shutter silk road 2, 400 other black market sites. False statements to an election official attempt the abovenamed defendant on or about january, 2015, at 100 north jefferson street. Feds seize silk road 2 in major dark web drug bust wired. As the criminal complaint against benthall lays out, he was secondincommand for silk road 2. You can read the full complaint against him here pdf.
In late march 2015, a criminal complaint issued by the united states district court for the. Allegedly blake benthall is an employee of elon musk and some of the laundered money was used to buy a tesla. Dec 22, 2016 answer said complaint on thursday, february 16, 2017, at 10. The new dread pirate roberts, or dpr2 as the feds call him in their criminal complaint pdf, is still at large, but the fbi has their man. Rather, the filing of a document in court is required. Since about december 20, benthall, aka defcon, has secretly owned and operated an underground website known as silk road 2. The international effort also included the united states department of homeland security, immigration and customs enforcement ice, and eurojust.
This, to me, is an extremely serious crime consisting of the betrayal of public trust from. On wednesday, agents with the fbi and the department of homeland security arrested 26yearold blake benthall, a. Federal prosecutor katheryn haun said the government would pursue detention. Blake benthall, aka defcon, the defendant, and others known and unknown, would and did knowingly transfer, in and affecting. Benthall blake complaint free download as pdf file. Krebs on security indepth security news and investigation. The citizen or the person who made the allegation is now known as an affiant who swore to a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation. Blake benthall, the alleged operator of silk road 2. A private citizen can report a complaint against another person, and this complaint is called as private criminal complaint. The fbi in benthalls criminal complaint stated that sr 2. Now, the feds have also arrested his alleged righthand man26yearold brian richard. One potential long term outcome of these highly publicized fed darknet busts is that future operators will learn from the opsec mistakes of dread pirate roberts, blake benthall, sanu, lulzsec, anonsec, etc. Nov 06, 2014 the new dread pirate roberts, or dpr2 as the feds call him in their criminal complaint pdf, is still at large, but the fbi has their man. Archived from the original pdf on 20 february 2014.
In most instances in state court, the document is a complaint. New criminal uses of the internet have resulted in investigative. In the criminal complaint, dagostino alleged that in late december of last year, benthall began running silk road 2. International probe leads to the arrest of the alleged. According to a criminal complaint filed in 2015, farrell told agents he. According to the complaint, the fbi was able to identify benthall as silk road 2. In sum and 3 substance, the complaint alleges that the defendant owned and administered a dark market website 4 known as silk road 2. Lets be clear this silk road, in whatever form, is the road to prison, said preet bharar, u. Since in or about december 20, blake benthall, aka defcon, the defendant, has secretly owned and operated an underground website known as silk road 2. Blake benthall linkedin in the criminal complaint against benthall, the fbi claims that investigators were part of the original conversation that took place during the launch phase of the site.
From there, the agent allegedly interacted directly with benthall in the running of the site. Silk road was an online black market and the first modern darknet market, best known as a. Elon musk is on record making fraudulent claims about teslas batteries and other things. The criminal complaint against benthall outlines how the silk road 2s staff was infiltrated by at least one. A criminal complaint charges the person named or an unknown person with a particular offense. Nov 06, 2014 allegedly blake benthall is an employee of elon musk and some of the laundered money was used to buy a tesla. Bloke, 26, accused of running drug souk silk road 2. Linking the server to blake benthall wasnt exactly rocket science. Prosecutor says san francisco man admitted running silk. Former space x employee arrested for alleged silk road 2. According to the fbi, blake benthall s online drug bazaar was netting millions of dollars worth of bitcoin every month while he simultaneously worked at spacex. Blake benthall wore a hooded sweatshirt with internet better on the back when he appeared in federal court after his arrest. Blake benthall, aka defcon, the defendant, and others known.
Tor project mulls over how law enforcement took down hidden. Department of justice doj criminal complaint filed against blake. Role of criminal complaint in criminal proceedings nolo. Operation onymous was formed as a joint law enforcement operation between the federal bureau of investigation fbi and the european union intelligence agency europol. Nebraska man has been charged in connection with alleges. The allegations presented in the silk road trial which begins tuesday, january th read like theyre ripped from the pages of a.
Jan 21, 2015 two months ago, blake benthall, the alleged operator of the silk road 2. George venizelos, the assistant directorincharge of the new york. Source document contributed to documentcloud by ali gharib the intercept. Attach preet bharara, the united states attorney for the southern district of new york, george venizelos, the assistant directorincharge of the new york office of the federal bureau of investigation fbi, and peter edge, executive. Exspacex employee busted by fbi for running a silk road. The complaint filed in manhattan by new york district attorney george venizelo names blake benthall as the alleged operator of silk road. Defcon is a man named blake benthall, whose own criminal case remains pending in federal court in new york. The fbi in benthall s criminal complaint stated that sr 2. Nov 06, 2014 krebs on security indepth security news and investigation.
A criminal complaint said the website was created to replace the original silk road, used for drug sales and other illegal activities, which had been seized by the government. According to the criminal complaint filed on tuesday, farrell told agents he. The fbis criminal complaint against benthall claims that the silk roads employees were paid exclusively in bitcoin and that benthall ran the sites tumbler that. Criminal complaint legal definition of criminal complaint. In blake benthalls case, he may have been thumping his bible too. Global web crackdown arrests 17, seizes hundreds of dark net. The fbi announced today that a startup founder and former spacex employee was arrested in san francisco for allegedly operating silk road 2. Feds shutter silk road 2, 400 other black market sites pcmag. Silk road was an online black market and the first modern darknet market, best known as a platform for selling illegal drugs. The case of blake benthall, alleged owner and opera. In sum and 3 substance, the complaint alleges that the defendant owned and administered a dark market website.
Defendant, criminal complaint clerk of courts the above named complaining witness being duly sworn, on and belief states that. As to blake benthall, the admitted cooperator of silk road 2. Law enforcement agencies around the world have shuttered silk road 2 and more than 400 other black market sites. Blake benthall, 26, is accused in a federal complaint of opeating the online marketplace known as silk road 2. In case of your failure to appear, a warrant for your arrest will be issued. The criminal complaint filed against benthall doesnt reveal much other than saying that in may the fbi identified a server located in a foreign country that was believed to be hosting the silk. Blake benthall, in a photograph on his instagram account according to the complaint benthall used his own email address to communicate with the service provider for silk road 2. In the criminal complaint against benthall, the agent writes. Blake benthall criminal complaint free download as pdf file.
Follow the silk road homeland security digital library. Although he has yet to be formally charged, the criminal complaint against benthall states he could face narcotics. Benthall did admit to everything after receiving his miranda rights that he was the administrator of silk road 2. Former spacex employee faces life in prison for running.
On thursday international law enforcement agencies including the fbi, the department of homeland security and europol took down the silk road 2 and arrested its alleged operator 26yearold blake benthall in san francisco. Nov 06, 2014 the feds and the us department of justice claim 26yearold blake benthall. Nov 06, 2014 after the arrest of blake benthall for allegedly operating silk road 2. Forbes takes privacy seriously and is committed to transparency. The criminal complaint against benthall outlines how the silk road 2s staff was infiltrated by at least one undercover law enforcement agent even before the site went online in november of last year. Silk road defendant waives detention hearing, agrees to be. Using the name defcon, benthall allegedly stated on dec.
As part of the dark web, it was operated as a tor hidden service, such that online users were able to browse it anonymously and securely without potential traffic monitoring. Defcon, in san francisco, charging him with drug trafficking, conspiracy. Lets be clearthis silk road, in whatever form, is the road to prison. Blake benthall was mostly silent at a federal court hearing in san francisco this morning, speaking only to waive his right to a hearing that would confirm his identity. Arrested was blake benthall, a 26 year old san francisco engineer whose twitter bio reads rocket scientist, bitcoin dreamer.
On thursday, officials said that 26yearold blake benthall of san francisco, ca was apprehended a day earlier as the result of a 12monthlong investigation into silk road 2. For example, after the bombing of a federal building in oklahoma city in 1995, authorities issued a john doe complaint, charging an unknown person or persons with the crime. The real power broker on the site was defcon, who prosecutors say is blake benthall, a 26yearold san francisco programmer arrested wednesday. Qntra presents the text of the alleged complaint liberated from its pdf turd.