Website Moderators Arrested; Indictments Specified Online Handles...

[19Trees]

http://www.heavy.com/news/2013/12/pe...-road-arrests/

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pres...ilkRoad2PR.php

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013...rket-case?lite

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/20/5...road-2-0-busts

The extent to which LE infiltrated (the Silk Road website) sufficient to learn the RW identities of site administrators and moderators is noteworthy.

It is also interesting that following the indictment of the bigger fish, LE and prosecutors still actively seeking out site mods presumably to enlarge the scope of the "conspiracy." In addition to asset forfeiture authority, things like treble damages give prosecutors "incentive" to make big cases.

Snowden taught us that our government records our emails, phone calls and texts and probably has cryptography tools that enable them to easily identify peeps who "control" their online handles.

This Silk Road case (especially as it relates to Nash) teaches us that site admins and mods are NOT anonymous, rather they are being tracked down, arrested and charged as co conspirators.

One could argue with some persuasion that - - the extent to which LE will go for drugs far greater than it would go after [mostly] consensual sex work. This may be true. Or not.

One thing clear from this, they will find you if/when they really want to?

19Trees

[soldierboy44]

From what I have read on other sites on line, BITCOINS scare the hell out of the US GOVT......and rightly so.....IMHO

[Chica Chaser]

I need a raise

Ulbricht, the owner and operator of Silk Road, ran the website with the assistance of a small support staff, including both site administrators and forum moderators. The site administrators were responsible for, among other things, monitoring user activity on Silk Road for problems, responding to customer service inquiries, and resolving disputes between buyers and vendors. The forum moderators were responsible for, among other things, monitoring user activity on discussion forums associated with the site, providing guidance to forum users concerning how to conduct business on Silk Road, and reporting any significant problems discussed on the forums to the site administrators and to Ulbricht. Ulbricht paid the site administrators and forum moderators salaries ranging from approximately $50,000 to approximately $75,000 per year for their services.

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pres...ilkRoad2PR.php

Also, for those not up to speed on this;

From about January 2011 until October 2, 2013, the “Silk Road” website hosted a sprawling black-market bazaar on the internet, where illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services were regularly bought and sold by the site’s users. During its more than two-and-a-half years in operation, Silk Road was used by several thousand drug dealers and other unlawful vendors to distribute hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services to well over a hundred thousand buyers, and to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from these unlawful transactions.

As a former mod, they have all your info too Trees.

[Whispers]

Originally Posted by Chica Chaser

I need a raise

http://www.justice.gov/usao/nys/pres...ilkRoad2PR.php

Also, for those not up to speed on this;


As a former mod, they have all your info too Trees.

He might not remember that Chica...... Some of his habits, illegal still here in Texas, tend to affect memory.....

He seems to like trying to put a scare into people.....especially regarding the law which he seems to have little respect for himself......

the other day he authored a rather intimidating email to a group of ladies trying to have a negative affect on a positive thing for the 2nd time...... Fortunately most of the ladies were smart enough to read it it for the sour grapes it represented and everything played out in a positive manner and his threats were seen to be shallow..... as he is these days......

I guess if we get anything out of the links posted to the stories....... If our Mods were better paid, those with weak character would not have to extort and bully the providers the way he did when he was a Mod.........


Trees...... You are simply a bitter old

[boredinsatx]

The simple fact is that if the feds really want you...they will find you...no matter how hard you try to hide online.

The more important question is how bad do they want you! Silk Road involved online drugs, guns, and even murder...all things much more important to the feds than what goes on here.

[Old Dingus]

Originally Posted by boredinsatx

The simple fact is that if the feds really want you...they will find you...no matter how hard you try to hide online.

The more important question is how bad do they want you! Silk Road involved online drugs, guns, and even murder...all things much more important to the feds than what goes on here.

Mega Dittos! My read concludes it was the DRUGS plus other activities not adult hobby stuff that brought this about. I would be interested in reading the entire indictments to see if "adult activities" are even charged.

Secondly, these guys allegedly received $50,000.00 to $75,000.00 salaries, which probably forced them to criminal activities to make financial ends meet. Our Mods and Staff are paid MUCH more than that, plus the value of the freebies puts them above $250,000.00. Hence, they do not need to involve themselves in criminal activity.

Old Dingus

[hobby_hound]

Much more than 75k? Where do I apply? ��

[Guest103014]

Originally Posted by hobby_hound

Much more than 75k? Where do I apply? ��

My thought exactly..... dang!

[Chica Chaser]

Originally Posted by Old Dingus

Our Mods and Staff are paid MUCH more than that, plus the value of the freebies puts them above $250,000.00. Hence, they do not need to involve themselves in criminal activity.

Old Dingus

Yes the freebies do help!

[Whispers]

Originally Posted by Chica Chaser

Yes the freebies do help!

Do you guys have to list their values on your tax returns as having received income? Do you get to deduct the value of work you do boosting their reps with the edited reviews as an offsetting expense?

I wonder how the IRS looks at sexual favors when professionals in the sex tradfe are involved?

Can she deduct the freebie as an expense?

so confusing

[Chica Chaser]

I have a guy that handles all that! LOL!

[Stag]

The sprint-speed Chica Chaser confesses:

I have a guy that handles all that! LOL!

I'd much rather have a gal that handles that, but to each his own, I suppose.

[mm-good]

It is best to assume...
Nothing is truly anonymous. Nothing is uncrackable.

[Evil magician]

Silk road was busted cause someone tried to setup a hit through there website it was in the paper and online.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2...irate-roberts/