• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechBitcoin

Former DEA agent gets prison time for stealing bitcoins

By
Laura Lorenzetti
Laura Lorenzetti
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Laura Lorenzetti
Laura Lorenzetti
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 22, 2015, 4:12 PM ET
Photograph by Getty Images

A former agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration was sentenced to over six years of prison time this week after he stole bitcoin in the Silk Road raid, Reuters reported.

The DEA brought down Silk Road, an underground website that hosted a massive black market, and seized millions of dollars worth of bitcoin in late 2013.

The former DEA agent, Carl Force, was involved in the raid and was charged with stealing bitcoin along with former Secret Service agent, Shaun Bridges. Force admitted to charges of extortion, money laundering and obstruction of justice. Bridges, separately, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.

During the investigation, Force posed as an online drug dealer named “Nob,” sweet-talking Silk Road founder Ross Ulricht into paying him $50,000 in bitcoin by pretending to have knowledge of the raid, the report said. Force then falsely told the DEA that he received no payment after the discussion. Force went on and used another pseudonym, “French Maid,” on the site, offering information to Ulricht on the investigation in exchange for another $98,000 worth of bitcoin, Reuters reported.

Force apologized and received 78 months in prison, less than the 87 months sought by prosecutors. All bitcoin that were seized in the Silk Road raid were eventually put up for public auctions.

For more Fortune tech coverage, watch this video:

About the Author
By Laura Lorenzetti
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Wells, Grant
EuropeSocial Media
Australia wants to end the era of kids on social media with international ban hailed as ‘first domino’ in global movement
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 4, 2025
23 minutes ago
SuccessWealth
Meet Luana Lopes Lara: The 29-year-old ballerina spent summers working for Ray Dalio—now she’s the youngest female self-made billionaire
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 4, 2025
1 hour ago
christmas
Arts & EntertainmentSpotify
From Spotify Wrapped to YouTube Recap to Amazon Delivered, the holidays are becoming a time of year for our tech to tell us who we are
By The Associated PressDecember 4, 2025
1 hour ago
Matt Rogers
CommentaryInfrastructure
I built the first iPhone with Steve Jobs. The AI industry is at risk of repeating an early smartphone mistake
By Matt RogersDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago
work
Future of Work
AI is reshaping the rhythm of the workweek–and leaders need to pay attention
By David ShimDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago
Venmo
CybersecurityVenmo
Venmo says it’s ‘back up and running’ after hours of trouble sending and receiving money
By Audrey McAvoy and The Associated PressDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt
By Eleanor PringleDecember 4, 2025
4 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
6 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Scott Bessent calls the Giving Pledge well-intentioned but ‘very amorphous,’ growing from ‘a panic among the billionaire class’
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 3, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Innovation
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says we’re just a decade away from a new normal of extraterrestrial data centers
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 1, 2025
3 days ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.