Shaun Bridges is the disgraced ex-Secret Service Agent who pleaded guilty to stealing bitcoin from online drug dealers while he was investigating the Silk Road; he's serving a 71-month sentence and has just had two years added to it after he pleaded guilty to stealing more bitcoin after his guilty plea, while he was out on bail
Bridges admitted that, in 2015, he stole 1600 bitcoin that had been seized from Bitstamp, a Bitcoin exchange. After the theft, he attempted to change his name and Social Security number, which led the DoJ to take him into custody, fearing he was preparing to flee the country or go underground.
At his sentencing hearing this week, Bridges asked the judge for leniency, citing the poor conditions in the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he had been incarcerated. According to Bridges, he has "no educational opportunities, no recreational opportunities; I'm pretty much alone, 99 percent of the time. 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."
The only observer to attend the hearing was Ars Technica reporter Cyrus Farivar.
In August 2017, Bridges pleaded guilty to new counts of money laundering and related forfeiture. In May 2015, Bridges was separately sentenced to 71 months in prison after he stole money from online dealers while investigating Silk Road, a now-defunct Tor-hidden underground website.
"Particularly troubling is the fact that Mr. Bridges did engage in further efforts to conceal a need to steal after he had entered the plea agreement," Judge Seeborg said.
However, Seeborg later noted, "It does appear that, from all that I've read… Mr. Bridges has a new perspective on what he's done and, hopefully, the decision to try to lead his life going forward in a different way."
Bridges, who spoke briefly during the hearing, teared up and addressed the judge for a few minutes. "I put myself here, I understand why I'm here," he said. "It's my actions that put me before this court."
After admitting to new crime, ex-Secret Service agent sentenced to 2 year [Cyrus Farivar/Ars Technica]
(via Beyond the Beyond)
