One of two former U.S. agents charged with pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars in digital money during the investigation of the illegal Silk Road Internet drug emporium reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, reports Bloomberg Business.
The former agent, who worked for the U.S. Secret Service as a computer forensics expert, was part of a Baltimore task force whose investigation led to murder-for-hire and drug charges there against Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, known online as Dread Pirate Roberts. He was separately convicted by a jury in New York and sentenced in May to life in prison for running a $214 million criminal enterprise that catered to hackers and drug traffickers.
The agent allegedly stole $820,000 in bitcoins that he got control of during the probe. He agreed to plead guilty to money laundering and obstruction of justice, according to a filing Wednesday in San Francisco federal court.
"His decision to plead guilty reflects his complete acceptance of responsibility and is another step towards rehabilitation," Steve Hale Levin, a lawyer for former agent, said in a phone interview.