When the federal government took down the illicit drug laundering website Silk Road, it was the conclusion of a massive investigation and surveillance operation conducted over several years from multiple offices. The investigation culminated in the arrest of Ross Ulbricht, aka the Dread Pirate Roberts, who was convicted of all charges and faces 30 years to life in prison. It’s now emerged that two of the federal agents working on the case used it as an opportunity to siphon hundreds of thousands of dollars in black market profits into their own personal accounts.

The complaint names two agents, Carl Mark Force IV (DEA) and Shaun Bridges (USSS). The two men worked on a Baltimore-based task force that investigated Ulbricht, one of several such organizations across the United States. Initially the plan was to charge Ulbricht with conspiracy, but the criminal behavior of the two agents appears to have tainted that plan. What they’re accused of is fairly damning.

According to the sworn affidavit, Force created unofficial fictitious personas and contacted Ulbricht directly with an offer to not turn over information to the DEA in exchange for $250,000. In case any of you are keeping score at home, that right there is plenty fraudulent enough for the DEA to prosecute, since the Drug Enforcement Agency is known for taking a dim view of its agents making deals with drug kingpins.

Read the Full Article: Source – Extreme Tech
http://www.extremetech.com/internet/202339-federal-agents-responsible-for-sacking-silk-road-charged-with-money-laundering-fraud-and-theft

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