Silk Road Operator Pleads Guilty to 1 Charge of Conspiracy

Roger Clark, an alleged operator behind the Silk Road darknet site arrested in 2015, has pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to distribute narcotics.

AccessTimeIconJan 31, 2020 at 12:15 a.m. UTC
Updated Aug 19, 2021 at 12:33 a.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Roger Thomas Clark, an alleged operator behind the Silk Road darknet marketplace and adviser to founder Ross Ulbricht, pleaded guilty to "conspiring to distribute massive quantities of narcotics," prosecutors announced Thursday.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York said in a press release that Clark, who was known online as "Plural of Mongoose," "Variety Jones," "VJ" and "cimon," pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and will be sentenced on May 29.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • Clark was first charged with conspiracy to traffic narcotics and conspiracy to launder money in 2015. Prosecutors described him as a "senior advisor" to the platform at the time.

    Silk Road is most famous for being a darknet marketplace where users could purchase illicit drugs and other goods using bitcoin as a payment method. Ulbricht is currently serving a life sentence in connection with his operation of the site, stemming from charges of narcotics distribution, computer hacking and conspiracy.

    Ulbricht and Clark were both also accused of facilitating "the attempted killing of a co-conspirator," though neither was charged in connection with this allegation.

    "Clark’s arrest, extradition from Thailand and conviction should make it clear that the purported anonymity of the dark web is not a protective shield from prosecution," said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in a statement.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.