Some people in the Bitcoin space may remember the Sheep Marketplace. This darknet forum started gaining a lot of momentum after Silk Road was shut down. Unfortunately, Sheep was shut down in March 2015, and its founder was arrested at the same time. Apparently, he also stole Bitcoins worth several million belonging to platform users.
When Tomáš Jiřikovský was arrested in March of 2015, law enforcement officials planned to charge him with drug trading. But as the investigation progressed, they came across other illicit activities. As it turns out, the Sheep Marketplace owner stole bitcoins from site users for as long as the platform was in operation.
It is not the first time people are accused of stealing bitcoins from Sheep Marketplace. Not too long ago, two men from Florida were arrested for similar incidents, resulting in the theft of 5,400 Bitcoin. That number pales in comparison the money the platform owner stole, which is projected to be close to US$40m worth of Bitcoin.
When the Sheep Marketplace was shut down all of a sudden, users immediately complained about their Bitcoin balances being gone. Most people suspected the owner of running off with the funds, and it turns out they were correct. South Moravian police officials, who are investigating this darknet marketplace, were notified of one individual receiving suspicious Bitcoin transactions.
After tracing these suspicious Bitcoin transactions, they noticed funds was being cashed out through cryptocurrency exchanges. A lot of funds was transferred to the bank account of Jiřikovský’s wife. Other funds were deposited in the bank account of their realtor, who also purchased a house worth US$300,000.
Among other things purchased with the funds are new cars, luxury goods, and expensive computers. All of these material goods have been seized by law enforcement, and any money remaining in the bank accounts has been taken as well. Eva Bartošová, Jiřikovský’s wife, is facing money laundering charges which could result in up to eight years in prison.
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