USMS: Single bidder wins all Silk Road bitcoins

by Leon Pick
USMS: Single bidder wins all Silk Road bitcoins

The US Marshals Service (USMS) has announced that a single bidder won the entire stash of the some 30,000 bitcoins confiscated from Silk Road. Based on the current exchange rate, the amount is worth $18.8 million.

USMS spokeswoman Lynzey Donahue said that the winner of the auction was notified on Monday night and the transfer took place on Tuesday. The transfer can be seen on the Blockchain here and below. Note the mention of "Silkroad Seized Coins" from earlier movement on June 12:

USMS blockchain

Transfer of the 29,656.51306529 bitcoins. Source: blockchain.info

USMS blockchain 2

Prior movement of the coins on June 12. Source: blockchain.info

USMS did not disclose the identity of the winner or the winning price.

The Bitcoin world now has some closure on this front. As of yesterday, little was known about the results and it was unclear how much information the USMS would disclose. The investigative nature of the community may lead it to do some forensic work to uncover the unknowns. Following the MtGox collapse, Bitcoiners were for months testing theories as to what exactly happened to the missing bitcoins. Along with various alleged hackings into MtGox systems, the blockchain served as a key tool in their investigations.

Bitcoin prices have slightly pared yesterday's gains but have not reacted significantly to the news, trading for about $635 on BTC-e. Volumes are low, averaging about 400 BTC/hour. They have not been pressured downward as a result of the fresh supply to the market.

The US Marshals Service (USMS) has announced that a single bidder won the entire stash of the some 30,000 bitcoins confiscated from Silk Road. Based on the current exchange rate, the amount is worth $18.8 million.

USMS spokeswoman Lynzey Donahue said that the winner of the auction was notified on Monday night and the transfer took place on Tuesday. The transfer can be seen on the Blockchain here and below. Note the mention of "Silkroad Seized Coins" from earlier movement on June 12:

USMS blockchain

Transfer of the 29,656.51306529 bitcoins. Source: blockchain.info

USMS blockchain 2

Prior movement of the coins on June 12. Source: blockchain.info

USMS did not disclose the identity of the winner or the winning price.

The Bitcoin world now has some closure on this front. As of yesterday, little was known about the results and it was unclear how much information the USMS would disclose. The investigative nature of the community may lead it to do some forensic work to uncover the unknowns. Following the MtGox collapse, Bitcoiners were for months testing theories as to what exactly happened to the missing bitcoins. Along with various alleged hackings into MtGox systems, the blockchain served as a key tool in their investigations.

Bitcoin prices have slightly pared yesterday's gains but have not reacted significantly to the news, trading for about $635 on BTC-e. Volumes are low, averaging about 400 BTC/hour. They have not been pressured downward as a result of the fresh supply to the market.

About the Author: Leon Pick
Leon  Pick
  • 1998 Articles
  • 5 Followers
About the Author: Leon Pick
  • 1998 Articles
  • 5 Followers

More from the Author

CryptoCurrency

!"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz{|} !"#$%&'()*+,-./0123456789:;<=>?@ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ[\]^_`abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz{|}