Reported by David Klein
Thomas White, Ex-Silk Road Administrator, Ordered to Forfeit $660,000 in Bitcoin
Thomas White, the administrator of the notorious Silk Road 2.0, has been ordered by the U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA) to hand over over $660,000 in Bitcoin linked to his role in the dark web’s largest black market.
White, 30, previously known by the pseudonym “the Dread Pirate Roberts,” took control of Silk Road 2.0 after the FBI shut down its predecessor in 2013. His site, like the original Silk Road, allowed users to anonymously purchase illegal goods ranging from drugs to fake identities using the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
White, an unemployed dropout, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2019 after pleading guilty to multiple charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and the creation of indecent images of children, which were found on his devices during his arrest.
In addition to his prison term, British authorities have now seized nearly £500,000 (approx. $660,000) worth of Bitcoin from White, underscoring their commitment to cracking down on digital currency crimes. The NCA, commenting on the forfeiture, said that it “proves that crime doesn’t pay,” emphasizing the financial and legal repercussions White is facing after his involvement in running the Silk Road’s successor.
Tyrone Surgeon, branch commander at the NCA, added, “Not only has he spent the last two years in prison, but he now faces this financial penalty for his illegal activities.”
This action represents a significant move by the authorities in addressing cybercrime on the dark web and underscores the growing effort to hold individuals accountable for crimes facilitated by cryptocurrencies.
