An unknown bidder has scooped 2,719 BTC (or $1,600,000) at the latest auction held by the US Marshals Service (USMS). This auction drew less attention than the last, which was held on November 15, 2015, only seeing four bidders, to November"s eleven. The winner of the bid now has the option to come forward and name themselves, or remain anonymous.
The bitcoins on offer were what the agency had gained from investigations, including:
- 1,300 bitcoins were seized from a civil case related to Matthew Gillum, a Silk Road drug dealer that was subject to 9 years in jail in 2015.
- 2.8 bitcoins came from Ross Ulbricht, the alleged Silk Road founder who got two life sentences.
- 65 bitcoins came from former Drug Enforcement Administration agent, Carl Force, who stole them during the Silk Road investigations.
- Another 665 bitcoins came from the case of Sean Roberson, who allegedly sold credit and debit cards through an online marketplace.
Anyone who wanted to participate in the auction had between August 8 and August 18 to register. The online auction period lasted from August 22, 8AM EDT to 2PM EDT, with the winner being notified at 5PM EDT. The winner was required to initiate a wire to the USMS by August 23, 2PM EDT.
Source: USMS via The Hacker News | Image via Bitcoin-Gator