By Miriam Raftery
March 30, 2015 (Washington D.C.) - Two federal officials assigned to probe a black market in digital currency are accused of becoming black marketers themselves—allegedly stealing bitcoins from Silk Road, the company they were investigating.
Ae Justice Department investigation exposed the purported corruption. The Justice Department accuses Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges of stealing $800,000 in bitcoins. In addition, DEA undercover officer Carl Force reportedly used fictitious accounts to blackmail Silk Road’s founder, who uses the name Dread Pirate Roberts, into paying Force $100,000 in bitcoins to bury evidence in the federal probe.
The complaint states, "Force and Bridges abused their positions as federal agents and engaged in a scheme to defraud a variety of third-parties, the public, and the government, all for their own financial enrichment.”
The Washington Post reports that a lawyer representing Bridges, says his client "maintains his innocence and will answer the charges at the appropriate time."