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. 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. The international effort also included the united states department of homeland security, immigration and customs enforcement ice, and eurojust. Benthall blake complaint free download as pdf file. According to the complaint unsealed today in manhattan federal court. As to blake benthall, the admitted cooperator of silk road 2. The fbi in benthall s criminal complaint stated that sr 2. In case of your failure to appear, a warrant for your arrest will be issued.
Feds shutter silk road 2, 400 other black market sites pcmag. Defendant, criminal complaint clerk of courts the above named complaining witness being duly sworn, on and belief states that. The real power broker on the site was defcon, who prosecutors say is blake benthall, a 26yearold san francisco programmer arrested wednesday. A private citizen can report a complaint against another person, and this complaint is called as private criminal complaint. 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.
Blake benthall, the alleged operator of silk road 2. 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. Nov 06, 2014 after the arrest of blake benthall for allegedly operating silk road 2. 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. 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. Department of justice doj criminal complaint filed against blake. Lets be clear this silk road, in whatever form, is the road to prison, said preet bharar, u. 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. The fbi announced today that a startup founder and former spacex employee was arrested in san francisco for allegedly operating silk road 2. Follow the silk road homeland security digital library. In late march 2015, a criminal complaint issued by the united states district court for the.
On wednesday, agents with the fbi and the department of homeland security arrested 26yearold blake benthall, a. Using the name defcon, benthall allegedly stated on dec. In the criminal complaint against benthall, the agent writes. Prosecutor says san francisco man admitted running silk. As alleged, blake benthall attempted to resurrect silk road, a secret website that law enforcement seized last year, by running 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.
According to the criminal complaint filed on tuesday, farrell told agents he. 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. Source document contributed to documentcloud by ali gharib the intercept. Dec 22, 2016 answer said complaint on thursday, february 16, 2017, at 10. Lets be clearthis silk road, in whatever form, is the road to prison. Now, the feds have also arrested his alleged righthand man26yearold brian richard.
Although he has yet to be formally charged, the criminal complaint against benthall states he could face narcotics. Blake benthall criminal complaint free download as pdf file. Role of criminal complaint in criminal proceedings nolo. 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. Benthall did admit to everything after receiving his miranda rights that he was the administrator of silk road 2. The criminal complaint against benthall outlines how the silk road 2s staff was infiltrated by at least one. Nov 06, 2014 the feds and the us department of justice claim 26yearold blake benthall. Exspacex employee busted by fbi for running a silk road. From there, the agent allegedly interacted directly with benthall in the running of the site. Blake benthall wore a hooded sweatshirt with internet better on the back when he appeared in federal court after his arrest. Supreme court of the united states national lawyers guild. Silk road was an online black market and the first modern darknet market, best known as a platform for selling illegal drugs. New criminal uses of the internet have resulted in investigative. 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. As the criminal complaint against benthall lays out, he was secondincommand for silk road 2. Defcon, in san francisco, charging him with drug trafficking, conspiracy. False statements to an election official attempt the abovenamed defendant on or about january, 2015, at 100 north jefferson street.
Operation onymous was formed as a joint law enforcement operation between the federal bureau of investigation fbi and the european union intelligence agency europol. Rather, the filing of a document in court is required. 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. In sum and 3 substance, the complaint alleges that the defendant owned and administered a dark market website 4 known as silk road 2. Blake benthall, aka defcon, the defendant, and others known. The fbi in benthalls criminal complaint stated that sr 2.
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. Jan 21, 2015 two months ago, blake benthall, the alleged operator of the silk road 2. Feds seize silk road 2 in major dark web drug bust wired. In blake benthalls case, he may have been thumping his bible too. Elon musk is on record making fraudulent claims about teslas batteries and other things. Since about december 20, benthall, aka defcon, has secretly owned and operated an underground website known as silk road 2. Criminal complaint legal definition of criminal complaint. Arrested was blake benthall, a 26 year old san francisco engineer whose twitter bio reads rocket scientist, bitcoin dreamer.
You can read the full complaint against him here pdf. 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. George venizelos, the assistant directorincharge of the new york. Bloke, 26, accused of running drug souk silk road 2. In the criminal complaint, dagostino alleged that in late december of last year, benthall began running silk road 2. Archived from the original pdf on 20 february 2014. Blake benthall, 26, is accused in a federal complaint of opeating the online marketplace known as silk road 2. Nebraska man has been charged in connection with alleges. Feds shutter silk road 2, 400 other black market sites. 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. Linking the server to blake benthall wasnt exactly rocket science. Tor project mulls over how law enforcement took down hidden. Former space x employee arrested for alleged silk road 2.
The case of blake benthall, alleged owner and opera. Theoretically after enough people cock up, the playbook on how to run a dark service h4x0r group should be sufficiently fleshed out. In sum and 3 substance, the complaint alleges that the defendant owned and administered a dark market website. Nov 06, 2014 krebs on security indepth security news and investigation.
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. My name is blake benthall, and i am 26 years old, he said. International probe leads to the arrest of the alleged. According to a criminal complaint filed in 2015, farrell told agents he. Blake benthall, 26, started a nearly identical site just weeks after the original silk road was shut down, the new york. Silk road defendant waives detention hearing, agrees to be. Qntra presents the text of the alleged complaint liberated from its pdf turd. A criminal complaint charges the person named or an unknown person with a particular offense. Allegedly blake benthall is an employee of elon musk and some of the laundered money was used to buy a tesla. 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 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. In most instances in state court, the document is a complaint.
Krebs on security indepth security news and investigation. Silk road was an online black market and the first modern darknet market, best known as a. The complaint filed in manhattan by new york district attorney george venizelo names blake benthall as the alleged operator of silk road. This, to me, is an extremely serious crime consisting of the betrayal of public trust from.
Nov 06, 2014 allegedly blake benthall is an employee of elon musk and some of the laundered money was used to buy a tesla. Former spacex employee faces life in prison for running. According to the complaint, the fbi was able to identify benthall as silk road 2. Defcon is a man named blake benthall, whose own criminal case remains pending in federal court in new york. The allegations presented in the silk road trial which begins tuesday, january th read like theyre ripped from the pages of a. 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. Global web crackdown arrests 17, seizes hundreds of dark net. Law enforcement agencies around the world have shuttered silk road 2 and more than 400 other black market sites.