Blake Benthall, one of the managers of the Silk Road 2.0 drug market, which used Defcon as a pseudonym, can only be prosecuted for tax crimes in exchange for their cooperation with the authorities.
The above news marks the first real insight into Benthall's fate after his capture and seizure of 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 network Tor to protect the location of its servers as well as its users, Silk Road 2.0 provided drug traffickers with a relatively secure platform to sell heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and other illegal drugs.
Εκτός από τα ναρκωτικά το "κατάστημα" διέθετε από πλαστά διαβατήρια, μέχρι πλαστά πτυχία και όπλα. Κατά τη διάρκεια της λειτουργίας του, ο ιστότοπος επεξεργαζόταν πωλήσεις περίπου 400.000 δολαρίων την μέρα.
Benthall was charged with drug trafficking, computer piracy and money laundering, according to court records.
The conspiracy for trading of drugs can result in at least ten years in prison.
Ο 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 likely won't face all of those charges, according to information που has the Motherboard. Benthall was a software developer and former SpaceX employee.
"Αν ο εναγόμενος συμμορφωθεί πλήρως με τις συμφωνίες που ορίζονται στην παρούσα Σύμβαση, δεν θα διωχθεί περαιτέρω από το FBI για άλλα εγκλήματα, εκτός από τις παραβιάσεις του ποινικού δικαίου."
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.
