CALIFORNIA
A Colorado man was sentenced this week to 11 years in federal prison for being a moderator on AlphaBay, an illegal website on the so-called darknet, according to officials.
According to court documents, Bryan Connor Herrell, 26, of Aurora, Colorado, was a moderator on the AlphaBay where vendors and purchasers engaged in hundreds of thousands of illicit transactions for guns, drugs, stolen identity information, credit card numbers, and other illegal items.
At the time, AlphaBay was the world’s largest online drug marketplace.
“This sentence serves as further proof that criminals cannot hide behind technology to break the law,” said U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott of the Eastern District of California. “Operating behind the veil of the darknet may seem to offer shelter from criminal investigations, but people should think twice before ordering or selling drugs online—you will be caught. This office will continue using all means available to pursue darknet-based crimes, particularly those involving fentanyl, opioids, and other dangerous drugs.”
As a moderator on AlphaBay, Herrell settled disputes between vendors and purchasers.
He is also served as a scam watcher – providing a service dedicated to monitoring attempts to defraud AlphaBay users.
Herrell went by the monikers “Penissmith” and “Botah” and was paid in Bitcoin for his participation.
On June 1, 2017, a Fresno grand jury indicted the alleged founder of AlphaBay, Alexandre Cazes.
On July 5, 2017, the Royal Thai Police, with assistance from the FBI and DEA, executed an arrest warrant for Alexandre Cazes at his residence in Bangkok, in connection with his alleged involvement with AlphaBay.
At the time of his arrest, law enforcement discovered Cazes’s laptop open and in an unencrypted state.
Agents and officers found several text files that identified the passwords/passkeys for the AlphaBay website, the AlphaBay servers, and other online identities associated with AlphaBay.
The indictment against Cazes was dismissed as a result of his death.
The investigation of AlphaBay and its former administrators continues.