A former Secret Service agent who played a key role in prosecuting Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht has been handed another prison sentence for stealing bitcoin while investigating the case. Shaun Bridges was sentenced to an additional two years in federal prison on November 7, 2017, adding to his existing nearly six-year term for earlier thefts.
How a Trusted Agent Turned into a Felon
According to court documents, Bridges laundered at least 1,600 bitcoins that belonged to the U.S. government by moving them from a BTC-e account into various private wallets. The new charges stemmed from activity that occurred after his initial guilty plea in late 2015, but before his re-arrest in early 2016. During this brief period of freedom, Bridges allegedly tried to change his name and Social Security number, prompting prosecutors to suspect ongoing criminal conduct.
Cyrus Farivar, senior business editor at Ars Technica, was the only member of the public present in the San Francisco courtroom. He reported that Bridges openly wept while describing his current incarceration conditions: 'I'm pretty much alone, 99 percent of the time,' the former agent said. 'They talk about one hour per day; it’s more like one hour per three days. The six years I face in the case psychologically breaks you; you’re just alone all the time.'
A Stark Contrast with Ross Ulbricht
The agent’s pleas for leniency stand in sharp contrast to the fate of Ross Ulbricht, who is serving a life sentence without parole for operating the Silk Road marketplace. Ulbricht never pleaded guilty and was never charged with theft or fraud. Even if one assumes his guilt, he created an underground eBay where buyers and sellers connected over an agnostic platform—an environment some argue was safer than street transactions.
U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg did not hold back his criticism, stating that Bridges' 'totality of crimes and continued dishonesty to the government' represented a 'betrayal of trust' and was 'among the worst of crimes.' The judge specifically noted that Bridges engaged in further efforts to conceal and steal after entering the plea agreement. Bitcoin community members interested in Ulbricht’s case are encouraged to visit FreeRoss.org.