#1 2020-09-12 22:30

Xobia
Member
Registered: 2020-09-10
Posts: 100

Darknet Moderator Paid in Bitcoin Sentenced to 11 years

Bryan Herrell, who settled disputes on AlphaBay, pleaded guilty to racketeering charges in January.

Nine months after entering a guilty plea in a California district court, Bryan Connor Herrell, 26, was sentenced Tuesday to 11 years behind bars for his role as an AlphaBay moderator, according to an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice.

As a moderator on AlphaBay, Herrell, who went by the nicknames “Penissmith” and “Botah,” settled disputes between vendors and purchasers, the DOJ said. He also served as a “scam watcher,” keeping a lookout for any attempts to defraud AlphaBay users.

For his efforts, the Aurora, Colorado, resident was paid in Bitcoin.

The investigation of AlphaBay and its former administrators is ongoing.

Source: https://decrypt.co/40531/darknet-moderator-paid-in-bitcoin-sentenced-to-11-years

Just as a point of interest, Penissmith was tracked down through the mailing system.  At the time Penissmith was running a counterfeit sports card operation and sending the counterfeit sports cards to a cohort who had been busted and was now cooperating with authorities.  He used track & trace when sending the packages and that made it even easier for LE to trace it back to the post office he was sending from.

Last edited by Xobia (2020-09-12 22:30)

Board footer