Blake Benthall, one of the administrators of the Silk Road 2.0 drug market, who used the alias Defcon, can only be prosecuted for tax crimes in exchange for cooperation them with the authorities.
The above news marks the first real one picture για τη μοίρα του Benthall μετά τη σύλληψή του και την κατάσχεση του Silk Road 2.0 the 2014. The site appeared shortly after the closure of the original Silk Road by the FBI and the arrest of its creator Ross Ulbricht.
Using the anonymous Tor network to protect the position of its servers and users, Silk Road 2.0 provided drug traffickers with a relatively secure platform for selling heroin, cocaine, cannabis and other illicit drugs.
Apart from drugs the “store” had everything from fake passports, to fake degrees and weapons. During its run, the site processed approximately $400.000 in sales per day.
Benthall was charged with conspiracy to traffic drugs, conspiracy to commit piracycomputer and conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to court records.
A drug trafficking conspiracy can result in at least ten years in prison.
Ulbricht for example sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the creation of the first Silk Road, which included drug trafficking, the creation of a criminal organization and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of illicit activities.
Benthall is unlikely to face all of these charges, according to reports has the Motherboard. Benthall was a software developer and former SpaceX employee.
"If the defendant fully complies with the agreements set forth in this Convention, he will not be prosecuted further by the FBI for crimes other than breaches of criminal law."
The path that Benthall followed is of course in stark contrast to his other Silk Road 2.0 partners who did not cooperate with the authorities.
In 2016, the United States sentenced Brian Farrell, (nicknamed DoctorClu), the forum moderator, to eight years in prison. Last month, Benthall co-founder and original creator of Silk Road 2.0 Thomas White was sentenced to five years in prison in Liverpool, England.
