Shaun Bridges has been arrested at his home in Laurel (Maryland) the day before he was scheduled to hand himself in to begin a prison sentence. The ex-secret service agent took part in the Silk Road investigation and was subsequently prosecuted for stealing almost 2200 Bitcoins, worth approximately $800,000.
According to the court document, police found bags containing Bridge ’s passport and its notarized copy and corporate records for a few offshore entities in Mauritius, Belize and Nevis. furthermore, officers have found secret service bulletproof vests, which reportedly had been stolen. All these are indications that the ex-agent planned to escape and avoid incarceration.
“French Maid” in action
Bridges, along with undercover agent Carl Force, was fully involved in the investigation into Silk Road. Force operated under the pseudonyms “French Maid” and “Death From Above” and used the information gained during the whole process to acquire a significant number of Bitcoins.
Bridges and Force also used Bitcoins given to them by the government for their personal needs and even set up their own investment funds – Engedi LLC and Quantum Investments. Currently, Force is serving a 6-year sentence, and Bridges is in custody. According to the court’s presser, there was a high probability that he would have attempted to escape and leave the country.
Official documents indicate that more than $1.2 billion worth of Bitcoins have exchanged hands since the Silk Road began its operations back in 2011.
