6 ms·

He didn't just steal bitcoins either: Among the crimes he confessed to, Force said he had agreed to a contract with 21st Century Fox last year to help make a f

He didn't just steal bitcoins either: Among the crimes he confessed to, Force said he had agreed to a contract with 21st Century Fox last year to help make a film about the Silk Road investigation, without the permission of his supervisors. That deal called for him to be paid up to $240,000. Force also invested in a company that brokered Bitcoin and served as its chief compliance officer while still with the DEA. During his time with the company, Force used his position to seize $300,000 from a customer and transfer it to his private account, authorities said. This guy was dirty, probably from the get go. It really makes you wonder if this will give Ulbricht more life in a new trial. I mean, this guy did stuff that was flat out against the law, and really compromises his integrity with regards to the trial. There's no telling what other sketchy stuff he did to get this conviction. And he's not the only dirty cop who was on the case either: http://www.coindesk.com/secret-service-plead-guilty-silk-road/ http://www.coindesk.com/secret-service-plead-guilty-silk-roa... US Secret Service special agent Shaun Bridges will plead guilty to charges of money laundering and wire fraud stemming from the government investigation into the illicit online black market Silk Road. This case is rife with corruption

tedunangst 11y ago
> I mean, this guy did stuff that was flat out against the law, and really compromises his integrity with regards to the trial. There's no telling what other sketchy stuff he did to get this conviction. What did Force say at Ulbricht's trial?
tptacek 11y ago
Can you be specific about how this compromises the Ulbricht trial? Start from the indictment, make a list of the facts that the prosecution had to establish, and find the places where they relied on Force. From what I can tell, this case was over as soon as they managed to get Ulbricht's unlocked laptop.
- fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
  In sentencing, prosecutors submitted a number of comments alluding to Ulbricht's alleged but not proven in trial murder for hire plots. The assumed motive for these alleged murder plots was the actual theft of bitcoins which we now learn was perpetrated by government agents and witnesses against Ulbricht.
  - gamblor956 11y ago
    There were multiple criminal cases filed against Ulbricht by separate jurisdictions for wholly separate crimes. Force was involved in only a single criminal case (the alleged murder-for-hires), and that case was dropped when Force and another investigator in that case were arrested.
    - fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
      I only know about the one case. Care to fill us in? >Force was involved in only a single criminal case (the alleged murder-for-hires), and that case was dropped when Force and another investigator in that case were arrested. >>In sentencing, prosecutors submitted a number of comments alluding to Ulbricht's alleged but not proven in trial murder for hire plots. The assumed motive for these alleged murder plots was the actual theft of bitcoins which we now learn was perpetrated by government agents and witnesses against Ulbricht. Here is the letter. http://cryptome.org/2015/05/ulbricht-256.pdf http://cryptome.org/2015/05/ulbricht-256.pdf Is it of no consequence that these comments rely upon a farcically compromised investigation?
      - tptacek 11y ago
        No, I don't believe it is of much consequence, since the evidence that convicted Ulbricht was not derived from Force's investigation. Again: Ulbricht used full-disk encryption and nothing else to protect his data (OPSEC lesson: don't do that), and was captured with his laptop unlocked. There was a glittering dragon hoard treasure trove of evidence on that thing. It's practically the case that everything he was charged for, he confessed --- in detail --- to his journal about. His journal! The case was over as soon as they imaged the laptop.
        fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
        Is it possible for the court to revisit sentencing without a new trial? Because I am not at all impressed with prosecutors making use of the murder plot stuff in sentencing after federal agents provoked the whole bit (not excusing Ulbricht's part in it, mind you). I think we're all a lot better off if the gov't is restrained from engaging in that kind of behavior, or taking advantage of this kind of gambit in any way.

tedunangst 11y ago

> I mean, this guy did stuff that was flat out against the law, and really compromises his integrity with regards to the trial. There's no telling what other sketchy stuff he did to get this conviction. What did Force say at Ulbricht's trial?

tptacek 11y ago

Can you be specific about how this compromises the Ulbricht trial? Start from the indictment, make a list of the facts that the prosecution had to establish, and find the places where they relied on Force. From what I can tell, this case was over as soon as they managed to get Ulbricht's unlocked laptop.

fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
In sentencing, prosecutors submitted a number of comments alluding to Ulbricht's alleged but not proven in trial murder for hire plots. The assumed motive for these alleged murder plots was the actual theft of bitcoins which we now learn was perpetrated by government agents and witnesses against Ulbricht.
- gamblor956 11y ago
  There were multiple criminal cases filed against Ulbricht by separate jurisdictions for wholly separate crimes. Force was involved in only a single criminal case (the alleged murder-for-hires), and that case was dropped when Force and another investigator in that case were arrested.
  - fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
    I only know about the one case. Care to fill us in? >Force was involved in only a single criminal case (the alleged murder-for-hires), and that case was dropped when Force and another investigator in that case were arrested. >>In sentencing, prosecutors submitted a number of comments alluding to Ulbricht's alleged but not proven in trial murder for hire plots. The assumed motive for these alleged murder plots was the actual theft of bitcoins which we now learn was perpetrated by government agents and witnesses against Ulbricht. Here is the letter. http://cryptome.org/2015/05/ulbricht-256.pdf http://cryptome.org/2015/05/ulbricht-256.pdf Is it of no consequence that these comments rely upon a farcically compromised investigation?
    - tptacek 11y ago
      No, I don't believe it is of much consequence, since the evidence that convicted Ulbricht was not derived from Force's investigation. Again: Ulbricht used full-disk encryption and nothing else to protect his data (OPSEC lesson: don't do that), and was captured with his laptop unlocked. There was a glittering dragon hoard treasure trove of evidence on that thing. It's practically the case that everything he was charged for, he confessed --- in detail --- to his journal about. His journal! The case was over as soon as they imaged the laptop.
      - fnordfnordfnord 11y ago
        Is it possible for the court to revisit sentencing without a new trial? Because I am not at all impressed with prosecutors making use of the murder plot stuff in sentencing after federal agents provoked the whole bit (not excusing Ulbricht's part in it, mind you). I think we're all a lot better off if the gov't is restrained from engaging in that kind of behavior, or taking advantage of this kind of gambit in any way.