Gary Davis accused of working as an
administrator for the notorious dark web marketplace appears in a federal court
in New York
A 30-year-old Irish man accused of working
for the dark web marketplace Silk Road has been extradited to the
United States to face charges.
Gary Davis, was arrested in 2014 and charged
with being an administrator for the now defunct dark web site. Davis went by
the alias “Libertas” and allegedly began his role in 2013.
According to a report by RTE.ie, Mr. Davis is “charged with one count of
conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of life in
prison, one count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion and one count of
conspiracy to commit money laundering”.
It is alleged that the accused was paid a
weekly salary — reported to be $1,500 per week— and his duties on the site
included making transactions between drug dealers and buyers run smoothly.
He has appeared before a federal court in
Manhattan, New York. If found guilty, Mr. Davis could receive a life sentence.
In an official press release, Geoffrey S.
Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York said:
“Gary Davis allegedly served as an administrator who helped run the Silk Road,
a secret online marketplace for illegal drugs, hacking services, and an
assortment of other criminal activities. Thanks to our partner agencies
here and abroad, Davis now faces justice in an American court.”
Mr. Davis had appealed the extradition order
on the grounds that he suffers from both a form of autism known as Asperger’s
Syndrome and depression. That appeal was rejected by the High Court in Dublin,
Ireland, in February 2018.
During its two and half year run, Silk Road
was a haven for several thousand drug dealers and other cybercriminals that
used the virtual marketplace to distribute drugs, weapons and other illegal
items to over 100,000 buyers.
The founder of Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht
a.k.a. “Dread Pirate Roberts”, was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 following a high-profile
FBI investigation following his arrest in a San Francisco public library.