A Secret Service agent accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in bitcoin during the US government’s investigation of the now-defunct dark market Silk Road has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
Shaun Bridges is set to spend the next five years and eleven months in federal prison after the court sided with the prosecution, which asked for the 71-month sentence in a memorandum filed on 30th November.
Bridges was charged earlier this year with obstruction of justice and money laundering in connection with the theft of more than $820,000 in bitcoin from accounts connected to the Silk Road.
According to a report by Ars Techina, US District Judge Richard Seeborg, who presided over the case, remarked that the case presents “an extremely serious crime consisting of the betrayal of public trust from a public official”.
“From what I can see, it was motivated by greed. No departure or variance is warranted in this case,” he said.
The defense was unsuccessful in its push for Bridges to receive a three-year sentence. During the hearing, Bridges told the court he accepted full responsibility for his actions and that his theft had cost him and his family dearly, stating:
“I want it to be clear that I accept full responsibility. My wife has lost everything, she went to college to go to law enforcement and now she has lost it all. I just wanted to apologize to everybody.”
Bridges’ sentencing comes months after he initially plead guilty to the charges. Another federal agent accused of going rogue during the Silk Road investigation, former Drug Enforcement Agency agent Carl Mark Force IV, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison after being charged with extortion, money laundering and obstruction of justice.
Revelations about Bridges’ and Forces’ actions were originally kept under wraps during the trial of Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted in February and later sentenced to life in prison for operating the Silk Road.
The full sentencing memorandum can be found below:
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