Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Carl Mark Force IV, who has plead guilty of money laundering, obstruction of justice and extortion, is to face his sentence Monday 19 October.
The charges against him include investing digital currency via fake Silk Road accounts, to “steal from the government and targets of the investigation”, which he as a DEA agent was taking part in. His collegue Shaun W. Bridges also pleaded guilty to using his position to get control over several Silk Road accounts and selling stolen bitcoins for $820,000.
The prosecutors demand to impose 7 years and 3 months on Mr Force and to add three years of supervised release. The defence argues that Mr Force suffered from mental issues when conducting the crime, and thus urges to reduce the sentence.
Still, the fact that Mr Force is a public servant is regarded as an aggravation. According to the US Attorney, his deeds might threaten the credibility of the whole criminal justice system, and thus the sentence shall be as harsh as possible to prevent other government employees from conducting crimes.
The Silk Road was an online black market of forbidden commodities, including drugs, launched in 2011 and closed in 2013 by FBI. Its founder Ross Ulbricht is serving a life sentence. The final online auction of more than 44,000 BTC confiscated from the Ulbricht’s laptop is to take place 5 November.
Maria Rudina
