Carl Mark Force, the Baltimore law enforcement team leader who investigated the Silk Road, has been found guilty of embezzlement and obstruction of justice.
Force admitted in court that he stole from Silk Roadand its founder Ross Ulbricht, even though he was assigned to the case.
Prosecutors outlined the details of the charges against Force, to which he later admitted.
He also created a second account, “French Maid,” from which he collected approximately $100,000 in bitcoins, offering counterintelligence.
A third attempt to extort money from the DPR using a third account, “Death From Above,” was unsuccessful.
The government also charged Force with multiple interests, including a contract with 20th Century Fox that required him to repay $240,000 to tell his story in an upcoming film. It is not entirely clear whether Force was actually paid. The contract was signed in 2014 and Force did not disclose it to his superiors at the DEA.
Force was the primary source in a Wired article about Silk Road, published in April 2015 and resulting in his own arrest.
A second conflict involves a company called CoinMKT, for which Force worked and was also a major investor. He used his DEA job to help run criminal background checks.
Sentencing is set for October, and the plea deal does not include a specific sentence. The maximum sentence for the money laundering charge is 20 years. Force has agreed to pay $500,000, according to his attorney, and $150,000 of that has already been paid.
“He accepts his responsibilities,” Force, Ivan Bridges, told reporters.
Also, Secret Service Agent Shaun Bridges, another man in the Baltimore special forces, has agreed to plead guilty to the government’s charges.
