The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has located 50,676 Bitcoins (BTC) stolen from the Silk Road Deep Web platform in 2012.
US Department of Justice, 2011-2013 years operating between Silk Road Deep Web platform to 50,676 Bitcoins (approximately $3.36 billion) announced that they were confiscated. The Bitcoins in question are approx. It was stolen by James Zhong 10 years ago. Defendant Zhong was detained and arrested for this crime in 2021, but the fate of Bitcoins has remained unknown to this day. Zhong before United States District Judge Paul G. Gardephe on Friday, November 4, 2022. admitted his guilt.
US Attorney Damian Williams He made the following statements on the subject:
More than ten years ago, James Zhong committed virtual fraud, stealing about 50,000 Bitcoins from Silk Road. For almost a decade, the whereabouts of this huge pile of lost Bitcoins has been a mystery. After long investigations, law enforcement located and confiscated his memory filled with these stolen Bitcoins.
In the statement made by the DOJ, the defendant Zhong Silk Road It was stated that he stole the assets of the site by exploiting a vulnerability on the site. According to the details, Zhong first 2,000 Bitcoins He deposited it and did so by dividing it into different accounts. After the initial deposit, Zhong quickly made a series of withdrawals.
Thanks to the scam scheme, the defendant, who attracted much more Bitcoin from Silk Road than he initially deposited, earned thousands of Bitcoins. For example, September 19, 2012In , Zhong to a Silk Road wallet 500 Bitcoins he laid. Seconds after completing the first deposit, you can net five different withdrawals of 500 Bitcoin. A win of 2,000 Bitcoins achieved.
Silk Road was remembered as the first illegal market to open on the internet. along with DarkNet and Deep Web This breakthrough, which brought definitions such as, was a revolution for some, a structure that held a bowl for criminals, according to others. in 2011 Ross Ulbricht Founded by this platform After the arrest of its founder in 2013 closed and inside thousands of Bitcoins were confiscated by the authorities. Bitcoin advocate Ross Ulbricht, who attended the Bitcoin conference last year, via live broadcast, in 2013. to life imprisonment sentenced.