Variety Jones Trivia
~20 min read | Published on 2020-02-03, tagged General-News using 4930 words.
Roger Clark a/k/a Variety Jones a/k/a Plural of Mongoose pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics on January 29, 2020. The charges stemmed from his central role in the operation of Silk Road more than six years ago.
An article about the actual sentencing is no longer necessary. Man who helped run online drug market pleads guilty to U.S. charge (Reuters) and Senior Adviser To The Operator Of The “Silk Road” Website Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court (Justice.gov).
Long before the government unsealed an indictment accusing Clark of two narcotics trafficking charges, a narcotics trafficking via the internet charge, a money laundering charge, and a hacking charge, people digging through Silk Road data had learned the identity of the man who pulled many of the strings behind Silk Road. Archived records from other forums, the Bitcoin blockchain, and evidence presented during the Ulbricht trial all contributed to Clark’s identification by independent researchers.
The criminal complaint, below, described how law enforcement used chat logs to build a case against Clark. The following two sections are unedited parts of the criminal complaint that directly relate to the investigation. The description of Silk Road and case overview were snipped.
Evidence from Ulbricht’s Laptop
(Criminal Complaint)
14. On or about October 1, 2013, Ross Ulbricht was arrested at a public library in San Francisco, California. At the time of his arrest, Ulbricht was using a laptop computer, which was secured by law enforcement agents (the “Ulbricht Computer”).
15. Pursuant to a search warrant, agents searched the Ulbricht Computer and recovered, among other things, extensive evidence reflecting Ulbricht’s operation of Silk Road, including journal entries and logs of chat communications between Ulbricht (referenced in the chats as “myself”) and various coconspirators.
16. Through the journal entries, Ulbricht described in detail how he created, designed, built, and operated Silk Road. In a journal entry dated 2011, Ulbricht wrote about the Silk Road’s successful first year in operation, and in the following excerpt, described how “Variety Jones” provided him with significant advice and assistance with operating and managing Silk Road:
Around this time, Variety Jones showed up. This was the biggest and strongest willed character I had met through the site thus far. He quickly proved to me that he had value by pointing out a major security hole in the site I was unaware of. It was an attack on bitcoind. We quickly began discussing every aspect of the site as well as future ideas. He convinced me of a server configuration paradigm that gave me the confidence to be the sole server administrator and not work with someone else at all.
He has advised me on many technical aspect of what we are doing, helped me speed up the site and squeeze more out of my current servers. He also has helped me better interact with the community around Silk Road, delivering proclamations, handling troublesome characters, running a sale, changing my name, devising rules, and on and on. He also helped me get my head straight regarding legal protection, cover stories, devising a will, finding a successor, and so on. He’s been a real mentor.
Among these chat logs were over a thousand pages of chats between Ulbricht and “VJ” and “Cimon,” which ranged from in or about December 2011 through in or about April 2013. On or about June 1, 2012, in the course of the chat logs, “VJ” indicated, in sum and substance that he was no longer using the online pseudonym “Variety Jones,” and agreed to use the pseudonym “cimon” going forward. Overall, the chats reflected that “VJ”/“Cimon” acted as an advisor and confidant to Ulbricht, and advised Ulbricht on a regular basis regarding various aspects of operating Silk Road. From reviewing the contents of these chats, I have also learned, in sum and substance and in part, the following:
a. VJ provided advice to Ulbricht in developing a “cover story” to make it appear as if he had sold Silk Road, consistent with the reference in the journal entry, quoted above in paragraph 16. For example:
i. During a chat dated December 9, 2011, VJ advised Ulbricht to be discreet and limit the number of people who know about his connection to owning and operating the Silk Road website, stating, “remember - someday it would be very valuable information who started SR, and the person who knows the guy who sold it on could sell that info - if senators are bitching and DEA is itching, they’d pay 7 figures for info leading to the site - and you will be interviewed someday - from my lips to your ears - be ready for it. . one of them will someday realize there is lottery winning amounts of cash in giving you up as the creator of the site.”
ii. During the same chat, VJ asked Ulbricht, in sum and substance, whether Ulbricht had disclosed to anyone in real life that he was involved in Silk Road: “IRL - is there anyone with a clue at all? Girlfriend, boyfriend, bunny you talk to, online buddy’s who you’ve know for years? Gramma, priest, rabbi, stripper?” Ulbricht responded, “unfortunately yes. They are two, but they think I sold the site and got out. and they are quite convinced of it.” VJ replied, “good for that - when do they think you’ve sold?” and Ulbricht responded, “about a month ago.”
iii. In a chat dated January 15, 2012, VJ asked Ulbricht whether he had seen the movie The Princess Bride, and whether he knew the “history of ~he Dread Pirate Roberts.” 4 VJ explained the legend of the character “Dread Pirate Roberts,” how “over the years, a new one would take the name, and the old one would retire.” VJ insisted that Ulbricht should change his name on the Silk Road website “from Admin, to Dread Pirate Roberts” to “clear your old trail - to be honest, as tight as you play things, you are the weak link from those two prev contacts.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that, during this conversation, VJ suggested that Ulbricht adopt the online pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts” on Silk Road to promote the lie he had told others that he had sold Silk Road to someone else (“clear your old trial - to be honest . you are the weak link from those two prev contacts.”)
iv. I have reviewed a post from the Silk Road Forum, dated on or about February 5, 2012, in which the “Admin” account, known to be the chief administrator account for Silk Road, announced that “my new name is: Dread Pirate Roberts.” Based on my discussions with agents involved in arresting Ulbricht on October 1, 2013 and my review of evidence collected from his arrest by an FBI computer forensic examiner, I know that at the time of Ulbricht’s arrest, Ulbricht was actively logged into the Silk Road website as the “Dread Pirate Roberts” administrator account from his laptop computer.
b. VJ assisted with hiring programmers to help with improving the infrastructure of, and maintaining Silk Road. For example:
i. In or about January 2012, VJ proposed to Ulbricht that he hire a team of developers to help test, improve, and maintain the computer code for the Silk Road website. VJ suggested that the team be overseen by a programmer who he referred to in the chats as “Tex”.
ii. By on or about January 15, 2012, VJ indicated that the programmer was already working on testing the code underlying the Silk Road website, stating: “I’m meeting with Tex in a few hours to go over his progress, his last email a few hours ago indicated he’s got a good handle on things, and we’ll be stress testing tonight.”
iii. On or about January 17, 2012, VJ confirmed to Ulbricht, in sum and substance, that the programmer was aware that the programming work was for Silk Road, and noted that the programmer shared VJ’s “dream of breaking the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] "
c. VJ recommended security improvements to the Silk Road website. For example, in a chat with Ulbricht dated on or about December 7, 2011, VJ noted told Ulbricht that was “working with you first to harden your systems . [w]hen we’re done, even getting the server will give them nothing. enforce encryption on all order info - automatically if not done by the customer/vendor - ditto with PM’s - both sender and recip need to have public keys posted - so only they can read them even if the server is taken.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that during this conversation, VJ recommended to Ulbricht additional security practices, including requiring that vendors use encryption when sending delivery addresses, so that if law enforcement was able to seize and image the Silk Road servers, law enforcement would not have useable information with which to target Silk Road users for buying and selling contraband.
d. VJ communicated with Ulbricht regarding the rules that were implemented to govern the Silk Road vendor and user community. For example, in a chat dated on or about December 28, 2011, Ulbricht and VJ discussed the rules against “out of escrow” payments on Silk Road. Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I know that Silk Road handled payments through its own escrow system, retained a cut of each sale of narcotics or other contraband as a commission. The rule against “out of escrow” payments forbade customers from negotiating a sale with vendors, but then paying for the contraband off the Silk Road system, thereby circumventing the escrow system from which commission were withdrawn. During the conversation, VJ recommended that a “bounty” or payment be offered to the Silk Road community to report vendors who sought to perform transactions out of the escrow system, and Ulbricht confirmed that he liked the idea.
e. VJ assisted Ulbricht and provided advice with respect to promoting sales on the Silk Road website. Specifically:
i. In a chat dated on or about March 23, 2012, VJ and Ulbricht discussed an upcoming promotion on Silk Road, to occur for three days around April 20, 2012, called the “4/20 Sale.” I know, based on my training and experience, that April 20th is observed as a counterculture holiday, where drug users gather to celebrate and consume mariJuana. Ulbricht provided VJ with a draft announcement for the sale, which read:
“Roll up a doobie and put your party hat on because the biggest stoner holiday is just around the corner, and we’ve got alot of ganja to deliver! We’re pulling out all the stops to celebrate 420 this year. Starting at 4:20 pm on 4/20/2012, we’ll be giving away 420 prizes every 420 seconds! WOO!!! Gift cards, badass consumer electronics, real gangsta shit! And to top it all off, we’re sending one lucky buyer on a dream vacation with all the trimmings!!! The buzz around this is going to be HUGE!”
ii. Later in that conversation, VJ and Ulbricht discussed various discounts and promotions that narcotics vendors would of fer during the course of the sale. In response to a proposal by Ulbricht that the site not charge commission on sales of contraband during the promotion, VJ objected, stating “I’d like to think we can bring more to the party than just dropped commissions. We’re filling the prize barrel already.” VJ noted the opportunity cost involved in dropping commissions, indicating that they expected approximately “a mil in sales.”
iii. During a chat dated on or about May 3, 2013, VJ and Ulbricht discussed the grand prize winner of the 4/20 sale, who was awarded an allinclusive paid trip to Thailand, including approximately $4,000 in United States currency in spending money. VJ informed Ulbricht that he had made the arrangements for the Thailand trip for the winner, provided the travel itinerary, and confirmed that the total cost to Silk Road was approximately $30,000 in United States currency.
iv. During a chat dated on or about May 29, 2013, VJ informed Ulbricht that he was concerned about the grand prize winner of the 4/20 sale, because of his heroin addiction, stating, “I’m worried about our winner .. he’s trying to dry out. . heroin . .it’s not working . . and I think his recent influx of cash didn’t help. . he told me some time ago he was trying to quit but SR make it kinda tough.” VJ expressed concern that the upcoming trip to Thailand (scheduled for mid-July 2012) might be problematic, stating, “I’m just worried that it’s not the kinda place you wanna get caught trying to score H, or possessing it.” Ulbricht responded, “shoulda thought more carefully about dropping $4k on an addict . . maybe our next prize will be 3 months in rehab.”
f. Further, VJ provided assistance with investigating the disappearance of a Silk Road customer support staff employee, who used the online pseudonym “Digital Alchemy,” or “DA.” For example, on or about October 29, 2012, Ulbricht and VJ (now using the pseudonym “cimon”) discussed the disappearance of a member of the Silk Road customer support staff, who used the user name “Digital Alchemy,” and was also referred to as “DA.” During that conversation, in sum and substance and among other things, VJ discussed trying to track down DA’s whereabouts, stating, “Bluntly - I need to know if he’s gone off the rails, or is simply fucked up. Off the rails scares me. Point is, I think in 10 days or less I can find him. Don’t want to do a thing, just watch, learn, and be careful. This is a whole nother level – are you all right with this, or do you want me to pull in my horns?” Ulbricht responded, “go for it. it’s a loose end.” Later in the conversation, VJ opined, “I think someone got to him - not the cops - the competition,” and later stated, “Ha, dude, we’re criminal drug dealers - what line shouldn’t we cross?” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that during this conversation, VJ informed Ulbricht that he was trying to locate DA, who had disappeared, to ensure that he was not cooperating with law enforcement. Further, I believe that VJ confirmed his knowledge that he and Ulbricht were engaged in an illegal enterprise, involved in the sale of controlled substances (“Ha, dude, we’re criminal drug dealers.”) .
18. Another file recovered from the Ulbricht Computer was a text file labeled “log,” reflecting various actions he took on various dates in connection with operating Silk Road. Several of the log entries refer to VJ as “Cimon” and the work VJ/Cimon did for Ulbricht. Among other things, the entries included the following:
a. An entry dated May 31, 2013, which states, “$50k xferred to cimon.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that this indicates that, on or about that date, Ulbricht paid VJ approximately $50,000 in exchange for his assistance with Silk Road.
b. An entry dated June 3, 2013, which states, “put cimon in charge of LE counter intel.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that in this post, Ulbricht indicated that VJ was in charge of counter intelligence (“counter intel”) on the efforts that law enforcement (“LE”) was making to attempt to investigate Silk Road.
19. Further, another file recovered from the Ulbricht Computer was a spreadsheet file labeled “sr_accounting,” reflecting various Silk Road related expenses. These included several additional references to payments to VJ (under the online pseudonym “cimon”), including payments of approximately: (1) $93,150 in United States currency on or about November 16, 2012; (2) $50,000 in United States currency on or about May 7, 2013; and (3) $57,000 in United States currency on or about July 3, 2013.
Identification of Variety Jones
(Criminal Complaint)
20. Based on my review of chat logs between Ulbricht and various co-conspirators, I know that Ulbricht required staff members to provide a scanned copy of personal identification documents, in order to work for him as part of the Silk Road enterprise. Based on my review of the contents of the Ulbricht Computer, I know that it contained a folder labeled “IDs,” that contained a number of encrypted image files, each of which was entitled with the online pseudonym of a Silk Road coconspirator.
21. I have reviewed the contents of a decrypted version of the image file entitled “cimon.jpeg,” which contains a passport issued by Canada for ROGER THOMAS CLARK, lists his date of birth as September 13, 1961, and indicates that it was issued in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“UK”).
22. Based on my review of open source corporate records for UK businesses that I found on the Internet, I know that ROGER THOMAS CLARK is listed on a UK corporate filing for a UKbased company called “Gypsy Nirvana Limited,” which indicates that “Thomas Clark” was a director of the company, and lists him as a Canadian national, born on September 13, 1961. In a chat recovered from the Ulbricht Computer dated June 28, 2012, “cimon” informed Ulbricht that “cimon” had “created the Gypsy Nirvana nic,” and that “a guy in England started a seed biz using my name, and me promo’ing it in public.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that in this conversation, “cimon” admitted to being involved with Gypsy Nirvana Limited, which, as noted above, was a UK-based company for which CLARK served as a director.
23. Further, on or about April 21, 2015, a cooperating witness (“CW-1”) 5 advised law enforcement, in substance and in part, that “Roger Clark” is the individual who used the online nicknames “Variety Jones,” “VJ,” in connection with Silk Road, which corresponds to the name on the identification documents recovered from the Ulbricht Computer, and that “Roger Clark” has also used the nickname “Gypsy Nirvana.” Further, CW-1 told law enforcement, in sum and substance and in part, the following about “Roger Clark,” which is consistent with disclosures made by “VJ”/“Cimon” in chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer:
a. “Roger Clark” also used the online nickname “Mongoose.” The chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer include a June 28, 2012 chat between Ulbricht and “Cimon” in which Cimon indicated that Cimon has also used the nickname “Plural of Mongoose” (“I was, and am, Plural of Mongoose. Folks who know and love me, it’s Mongoose.”).
b. “Roger Clark” is a Canadian national that had previously lived in the UK. As noted above in paragraph 21, the scanned version of the ROGER THOMAS CLARK passport recovered from the Ulbricht Computer indicates that he is a Canadian national, and that his passport was issued in the UK. This is further corroborated by chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer, which indicate that: (1) on or about May 17, 2012, “VJ” informed Ulbricht that he was facing deportation proceedings in the UK; (2) on or about June 28, 2012, “Cimon” informed Ulbricht that he would be deported to Canada if the proceedings did not go favorably for him; and (3) on or about July 6, 2012, “Cimon” informed Ulbricht that UK authorities agreed to let him depart voluntarily from the UK.
c. “Roger Clark” was living in Thailand. Chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer include multiple references to “Cimon” living in Thailand by in or about September 2012, and through at least February 2013.
Overgrow.com
(antilop)
In an amazing series of posts, @lamoustache and @thegrugq explained how Clark had doxed himself in 2008 after the hostile takeover of a marijuana forum and magazine.
From Variety Jones or the old guard back in harness
Variety Jones
on Silk Road forum on June 27, 2011. From the information available on his vendor page he was selling exclusively
, shipping from the UK, and according to the website “Down the silk rabbit hole” as of November 03, 2011, Variety Jones had the
listed on Silk Road, 231. Outside of Silk Road, open Internet searches on the alias “Variety Jones” don’t immediately produce results. There is an account Variety Jones, with only 8 posts, dating from 2002, on the forum uk420.com, which looks relevant but doesn’t provide much information.
More interesting, a reference of a Variety Jones can be tracked back to February 2006 and an individual using the alias Plural of Mongoose. Plural of Mongoose presented himself as a respected member of the legendary cannabis grow site
(OG), but was also involved on a larger scale in the cannabis seeds community through various online shops selling cannabis seeds for breeders, most prominently seedsdirect.co.uk. However, before getting into the specifics we need to take a trip down memory lane, stopping first at OG.
And later:
Along the way, Plural of Mongoose with the help of, Gypsy Nirvana’s ex-girlfriend and co-owner of Gypsy Nirvana Ltd, Nicky, took over “Gypsy Nirvana ltd” and its affiliated cannabis forum and magazine www.icmag.com (
) . The love birds modified the status of the company by appointing Plural of Mongoose Director and an interesting “Mr Jones” as Secretary. After a complaint through the UK Companies House Gypsy Nirvana will eventually get his company back, under his own name and control. The legal procedure resulted in the identity of Plural of Mongoose to be revealed as Thomas Clark a Canadian citizen, born in 1961 and living in Surrey, UK.
Motherboard Dox
(Motherboard)
In 2015, Motherboard published “These Are the Two Forgotten Architects of Silk Road.” The author revisits the Variety Jones alias and describes information discovered while “digging through the email account of Variety Jones.” That information, of course, led back to Clark.
There were two crucial but lesser-known players involved who have yet to be publicly unmasked, however.
These individuals coded large portions of the site and attempted to expand Silk Road from a single drug market into a cryptographic empire with a range of services.
Through a source, Motherboard has gained access to emails sent and received by one of those characters, who is perhaps best known by the pseudonym Variety Jones. This reporter has seen first hand the contents of this email account, and verified that it is legitimate.
The information in these emails led to two names: Mike Wattier and Thomas Clark.
Logs
@lamoustache has an archive chat logs used as evidence during the Ulbricht trial. Some of them are more interesting than others, such as government exhibit u7y2e2c3rbfqzjfe.log. The chat is between Ulbricht and “Cimon,” one of Clark’s aliases. The chat is presented as filed by the government.
(2012-10-29 14:27) cimon: on btctalk, there are folks who when you just started out save you shroom packs. Coulple that with educatoin and empoloyment I know - yer one of 12 folks in the world. Easy odds.
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: Sorry, don’t mean to worry ya - I’m making a point that I have 10 times more on D A - if needed, I can lay my finger on him in weeks, easy. He leaked more info like a seive than you did. Also, keep in mind I’ve shipped shit to his prev addy. Not hard to track from there.
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: and my point is I want to find him, and have a chat - if it’s ok with you.
(2012-10-29 14:29) myself: go ahead
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: Just make sure he’s on side, is all.
(2012-10-29 14:29) myself: I wouldn’t think the info you have would narrow me down to 12
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: nothing bad will happen - it’s just talk
(2012-10-29 14:30) cimon: (04:29:53) Dipper: I wouldn’t think the info you have would narrow me down to 12 Bet? ;)
(2012-10-29 14:30) myself: just don’t spook him too bad. I wouldn’t want him freaking out and attacking you or something
(2012-10-29 14:30) myself: where are you getting the number 12? do you have a list?
(2012-10-29 14:31) cimon: naw - if anything I’m gonna see if I can help him. I’m sure he’s stressted, scared, and just a little bit fucked up in general.
(2012-10-29 14:31) cimon: 12’s an estimate - could be as high - but no higher - than 10, and no less than 8
(2012-10-29 14:32) myself: I call bs
(2012-10-29 14:32) cimon: Well, unless you lied in the early days, yer right
(2012-10-29 14:33) myself: not sure what the bet would be or how to settle it, but I’d take it
(2012-10-29 14:33) cimon: but if you didn’t - and I don’t think DA did - then my good memeory serves me well
(2012-10-29 14:34) myself: from what I remember, you know my educational background (sort of), you can infer my gender, age, race, etc. and you know where I was a year and a half ago roughly when I started the site
(2012-10-29 14:34) myself: does that really narrow me down to 12 people?
(2012-10-29 14:34) myself: you could estimate my travels a bit based on timezone
(2012-10-29 14:35) cimon: yeah - I’m not looking for you - but you’ve left enough hints - where you went to school - when you started to work and left - info from folks on btctalk who posted images of postmarks from shrooms you sent - yeah - I could narrow it down quick.
(2012-10-29 14:35) myself: where i went to school
(2012-10-29 14:35) myself: ?
(2012-10-29 14:35) myself: I don’t remember revealing anything like that
(2012-10-29 14:36) cimon: dude, I’m not trying to worry you - I’m making the point that DA slippped way more shit that you.
(2012-10-29 14:37) myself: you are worrying me! won’t you ease my mind and tell me what you think you know?
(2012-10-29 14:37) cimon: I mean, yer fine, how many experimantal physicists quit to sell shrooms outta ndl anyways, eh.
(2012-10-29 14:38) myself: shit, you know about the national dodgeball league!
(2012-10-29 14:38) myself: my cover is blown
(2012-10-29 14:38) cimon: goddammit! I was making a point, not trying to worry you. Do I think I could find you quickly - absolutley. Would I - what the fuck would I want to do that for - then I have info folks would kill me for. I’d rather not know - the point is it’s easy to let info out, and DA did, and I ’ll spend $ to follow it up. Shit, if I really wanted to just see you, I’d just ask.
(2012-10-29 14:40) myself: it’s ok man, just never thought you were capable of that
(2012-10-29 14:40) myself: what’s ndl?
(2012-10-29 14:40) cimon: You know - I post up, and give you shitloads of info that could if you tried just a bit (fuck, Plural of Mongoose alone should do it!) that you could determine exactly who I am. I did that to make you feel comfortable.
(2012-10-29 14:41) myself: i know
(2012-10-29 14:41) cimon: If you can’t find me in 10 days, you’ve not read my shit.
(2012-10-29 14:41) myself: it’s not like I don’t trust you dude
(2012-10-29 14:41) cimon: That’s my way of trying to make you comfy - there ain’t much more I can do.
(2012-10-29 14:42) cimon: dude, you so don’t trust me - I know you want to, but it’s not there yet. I’m doing my best to make it easy for you.
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: i guess there are different levels
(2012-10-29 14:42) cimon: Fuck, I scare you. Shit, I scare me. We gotta work together
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: but I beleive you when you say you wouldn’t look for me
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: but there is a difference between willing and able
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: thats all
(2012-10-29 14:43) cimon: The reason I don’t look for you is that leaves a trail - but I’m pretty confident if I did, I’d find you. And that’s just a fact.
(2012-10-29 14:43) myself: didn’t think you were able before, but I guess you are
(2012-10-29 14:43) cimon: But, I’d rather some day you came to see me.
(2012-10-29 14:43) myself: I will
(2012-10-29 14:43) myself: or I’ll invite you somewhere
(2012-10-29 14:44) cimon: shit, now I’m worried you think I’m being, I dunno…
(2012-10-29 14:44) myself: we’ll get to embrace, and shoot the shit, and brainstorm
(2012-10-29 14:44) cimon: Fuck, do I need to knock on yer door and NOT shoot ya to make you trust me? Tell me.
(2012-10-29 14:45) myself: lol
(2012-10-29 14:45) cimon: heh
(2012-10-29 14:46) myself: yer fine… just me processing info. I guess I revealed too much.
(2012-10-29 14:46) myself: selling was my first mistake
(2012-10-29 14:46) cimon: Now, back on track - do you have a prob with me having one of my folks tap on DA’s door, and having a talk
(2012-10-29 14:46) myself: nope, go for it
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: yeah - there are records on reddit, and bitcointalk, where folks have scans of your shipments - that was the key
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: but great shrooms, apparently!
(2012-10-29 14:47) myself: they were fucking awesome
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: but postmarks narrow it down
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: with everything else, yeah, I could find ya\
(2012-10-29 14:48) cimon: but that said, no one else knows, no one else ever will, and I won’t do that.
(2012-10-29 14:48) myself: thank you
(2012-10-29 14:49) cimon: and further to that, the DPR thing is great, and we need to make at least one publid set of statements that indicates that the old admin is long gone, and dpr is now in charge. Keep in mind the movie, and how dpr can change from one time to the next. I’ve got yer back.
(2012-10-29 14:49) myself: yea, I was thinking the same thing
(2012-10-29 14:49) myself: have a back story for him
(2012-10-29 14:50) cimon: I suggested DPR when I first realized I could track you. I don’t give a shit who you are, and it’s to my and everyone’s advantage no one else can.
(2012-10-29 14:50) cimon: DPR by it’s very nature indicates a rotating command. We’ll play that.
That is it for now. But if you made it this far, I suggest you read the Silk Road Timeline
An article about the actual sentencing is no longer necessary. Man who helped run online drug market pleads guilty to U.S. charge (Reuters) and Senior Adviser To The Operator Of The “Silk Road” Website Pleads Guilty In Manhattan Federal Court (Justice.gov).
Long before the government unsealed an indictment accusing Clark of two narcotics trafficking charges, a narcotics trafficking via the internet charge, a money laundering charge, and a hacking charge, people digging through Silk Road data had learned the identity of the man who pulled many of the strings behind Silk Road. Archived records from other forums, the Bitcoin blockchain, and evidence presented during the Ulbricht trial all contributed to Clark’s identification by independent researchers.
The criminal complaint, below, described how law enforcement used chat logs to build a case against Clark. The following two sections are unedited parts of the criminal complaint that directly relate to the investigation. The description of Silk Road and case overview were snipped.
Evidence from Ulbricht’s Laptop
(Criminal Complaint)
14. On or about October 1, 2013, Ross Ulbricht was arrested at a public library in San Francisco, California. At the time of his arrest, Ulbricht was using a laptop computer, which was secured by law enforcement agents (the “Ulbricht Computer”).
15. Pursuant to a search warrant, agents searched the Ulbricht Computer and recovered, among other things, extensive evidence reflecting Ulbricht’s operation of Silk Road, including journal entries and logs of chat communications between Ulbricht (referenced in the chats as “myself”) and various coconspirators.
16. Through the journal entries, Ulbricht described in detail how he created, designed, built, and operated Silk Road. In a journal entry dated 2011, Ulbricht wrote about the Silk Road’s successful first year in operation, and in the following excerpt, described how “Variety Jones” provided him with significant advice and assistance with operating and managing Silk Road:
Around this time, Variety Jones showed up. This was the biggest and strongest willed character I had met through the site thus far. He quickly proved to me that he had value by pointing out a major security hole in the site I was unaware of. It was an attack on bitcoind. We quickly began discussing every aspect of the site as well as future ideas. He convinced me of a server configuration paradigm that gave me the confidence to be the sole server administrator and not work with someone else at all.
He has advised me on many technical aspect of what we are doing, helped me speed up the site and squeeze more out of my current servers. He also has helped me better interact with the community around Silk Road, delivering proclamations, handling troublesome characters, running a sale, changing my name, devising rules, and on and on. He also helped me get my head straight regarding legal protection, cover stories, devising a will, finding a successor, and so on. He’s been a real mentor.
Among these chat logs were over a thousand pages of chats between Ulbricht and “VJ” and “Cimon,” which ranged from in or about December 2011 through in or about April 2013. On or about June 1, 2012, in the course of the chat logs, “VJ” indicated, in sum and substance that he was no longer using the online pseudonym “Variety Jones,” and agreed to use the pseudonym “cimon” going forward. Overall, the chats reflected that “VJ”/“Cimon” acted as an advisor and confidant to Ulbricht, and advised Ulbricht on a regular basis regarding various aspects of operating Silk Road. From reviewing the contents of these chats, I have also learned, in sum and substance and in part, the following:
a. VJ provided advice to Ulbricht in developing a “cover story” to make it appear as if he had sold Silk Road, consistent with the reference in the journal entry, quoted above in paragraph 16. For example:
i. During a chat dated December 9, 2011, VJ advised Ulbricht to be discreet and limit the number of people who know about his connection to owning and operating the Silk Road website, stating, “remember - someday it would be very valuable information who started SR, and the person who knows the guy who sold it on could sell that info - if senators are bitching and DEA is itching, they’d pay 7 figures for info leading to the site - and you will be interviewed someday - from my lips to your ears - be ready for it. . one of them will someday realize there is lottery winning amounts of cash in giving you up as the creator of the site.”
ii. During the same chat, VJ asked Ulbricht, in sum and substance, whether Ulbricht had disclosed to anyone in real life that he was involved in Silk Road: “IRL - is there anyone with a clue at all? Girlfriend, boyfriend, bunny you talk to, online buddy’s who you’ve know for years? Gramma, priest, rabbi, stripper?” Ulbricht responded, “unfortunately yes. They are two, but they think I sold the site and got out. and they are quite convinced of it.” VJ replied, “good for that - when do they think you’ve sold?” and Ulbricht responded, “about a month ago.”
iii. In a chat dated January 15, 2012, VJ asked Ulbricht whether he had seen the movie The Princess Bride, and whether he knew the “history of ~he Dread Pirate Roberts.” 4 VJ explained the legend of the character “Dread Pirate Roberts,” how “over the years, a new one would take the name, and the old one would retire.” VJ insisted that Ulbricht should change his name on the Silk Road website “from Admin, to Dread Pirate Roberts” to “clear your old trail - to be honest, as tight as you play things, you are the weak link from those two prev contacts.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that, during this conversation, VJ suggested that Ulbricht adopt the online pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts” on Silk Road to promote the lie he had told others that he had sold Silk Road to someone else (“clear your old trial - to be honest . you are the weak link from those two prev contacts.”)
iv. I have reviewed a post from the Silk Road Forum, dated on or about February 5, 2012, in which the “Admin” account, known to be the chief administrator account for Silk Road, announced that “my new name is: Dread Pirate Roberts.” Based on my discussions with agents involved in arresting Ulbricht on October 1, 2013 and my review of evidence collected from his arrest by an FBI computer forensic examiner, I know that at the time of Ulbricht’s arrest, Ulbricht was actively logged into the Silk Road website as the “Dread Pirate Roberts” administrator account from his laptop computer.
b. VJ assisted with hiring programmers to help with improving the infrastructure of, and maintaining Silk Road. For example:
i. In or about January 2012, VJ proposed to Ulbricht that he hire a team of developers to help test, improve, and maintain the computer code for the Silk Road website. VJ suggested that the team be overseen by a programmer who he referred to in the chats as “Tex”.
ii. By on or about January 15, 2012, VJ indicated that the programmer was already working on testing the code underlying the Silk Road website, stating: “I’m meeting with Tex in a few hours to go over his progress, his last email a few hours ago indicated he’s got a good handle on things, and we’ll be stress testing tonight.”
iii. On or about January 17, 2012, VJ confirmed to Ulbricht, in sum and substance, that the programmer was aware that the programming work was for Silk Road, and noted that the programmer shared VJ’s “dream of breaking the DEA [Drug Enforcement Administration] "
c. VJ recommended security improvements to the Silk Road website. For example, in a chat with Ulbricht dated on or about December 7, 2011, VJ noted told Ulbricht that was “working with you first to harden your systems . [w]hen we’re done, even getting the server will give them nothing. enforce encryption on all order info - automatically if not done by the customer/vendor - ditto with PM’s - both sender and recip need to have public keys posted - so only they can read them even if the server is taken.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that during this conversation, VJ recommended to Ulbricht additional security practices, including requiring that vendors use encryption when sending delivery addresses, so that if law enforcement was able to seize and image the Silk Road servers, law enforcement would not have useable information with which to target Silk Road users for buying and selling contraband.
d. VJ communicated with Ulbricht regarding the rules that were implemented to govern the Silk Road vendor and user community. For example, in a chat dated on or about December 28, 2011, Ulbricht and VJ discussed the rules against “out of escrow” payments on Silk Road. Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I know that Silk Road handled payments through its own escrow system, retained a cut of each sale of narcotics or other contraband as a commission. The rule against “out of escrow” payments forbade customers from negotiating a sale with vendors, but then paying for the contraband off the Silk Road system, thereby circumventing the escrow system from which commission were withdrawn. During the conversation, VJ recommended that a “bounty” or payment be offered to the Silk Road community to report vendors who sought to perform transactions out of the escrow system, and Ulbricht confirmed that he liked the idea.
e. VJ assisted Ulbricht and provided advice with respect to promoting sales on the Silk Road website. Specifically:
“Roll up a doobie and put your party hat on because the biggest stoner holiday is just around the corner, and we’ve got alot of ganja to deliver! We’re pulling out all the stops to celebrate 420 this year. Starting at 4:20 pm on 4/20/2012, we’ll be giving away 420 prizes every 420 seconds! WOO!!! Gift cards, badass consumer electronics, real gangsta shit! And to top it all off, we’re sending one lucky buyer on a dream vacation with all the trimmings!!! The buzz around this is going to be HUGE!”
ii. Later in that conversation, VJ and Ulbricht discussed various discounts and promotions that narcotics vendors would of fer during the course of the sale. In response to a proposal by Ulbricht that the site not charge commission on sales of contraband during the promotion, VJ objected, stating “I’d like to think we can bring more to the party than just dropped commissions. We’re filling the prize barrel already.” VJ noted the opportunity cost involved in dropping commissions, indicating that they expected approximately “a mil in sales.”
iii. During a chat dated on or about May 3, 2013, VJ and Ulbricht discussed the grand prize winner of the 4/20 sale, who was awarded an allinclusive paid trip to Thailand, including approximately $4,000 in United States currency in spending money. VJ informed Ulbricht that he had made the arrangements for the Thailand trip for the winner, provided the travel itinerary, and confirmed that the total cost to Silk Road was approximately $30,000 in United States currency.
iv. During a chat dated on or about May 29, 2013, VJ informed Ulbricht that he was concerned about the grand prize winner of the 4/20 sale, because of his heroin addiction, stating, “I’m worried about our winner .. he’s trying to dry out. . heroin . .it’s not working . . and I think his recent influx of cash didn’t help. . he told me some time ago he was trying to quit but SR make it kinda tough.” VJ expressed concern that the upcoming trip to Thailand (scheduled for mid-July 2012) might be problematic, stating, “I’m just worried that it’s not the kinda place you wanna get caught trying to score H, or possessing it.” Ulbricht responded, “shoulda thought more carefully about dropping $4k on an addict . . maybe our next prize will be 3 months in rehab.”
f. Further, VJ provided assistance with investigating the disappearance of a Silk Road customer support staff employee, who used the online pseudonym “Digital Alchemy,” or “DA.” For example, on or about October 29, 2012, Ulbricht and VJ (now using the pseudonym “cimon”) discussed the disappearance of a member of the Silk Road customer support staff, who used the user name “Digital Alchemy,” and was also referred to as “DA.” During that conversation, in sum and substance and among other things, VJ discussed trying to track down DA’s whereabouts, stating, “Bluntly - I need to know if he’s gone off the rails, or is simply fucked up. Off the rails scares me. Point is, I think in 10 days or less I can find him. Don’t want to do a thing, just watch, learn, and be careful. This is a whole nother level – are you all right with this, or do you want me to pull in my horns?” Ulbricht responded, “go for it. it’s a loose end.” Later in the conversation, VJ opined, “I think someone got to him - not the cops - the competition,” and later stated, “Ha, dude, we’re criminal drug dealers - what line shouldn’t we cross?” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that during this conversation, VJ informed Ulbricht that he was trying to locate DA, who had disappeared, to ensure that he was not cooperating with law enforcement. Further, I believe that VJ confirmed his knowledge that he and Ulbricht were engaged in an illegal enterprise, involved in the sale of controlled substances (“Ha, dude, we’re criminal drug dealers.”) .
18. Another file recovered from the Ulbricht Computer was a text file labeled “log,” reflecting various actions he took on various dates in connection with operating Silk Road. Several of the log entries refer to VJ as “Cimon” and the work VJ/Cimon did for Ulbricht. Among other things, the entries included the following:
a. An entry dated May 31, 2013, which states, “$50k xferred to cimon.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that this indicates that, on or about that date, Ulbricht paid VJ approximately $50,000 in exchange for his assistance with Silk Road.
b. An entry dated June 3, 2013, which states, “put cimon in charge of LE counter intel.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that in this post, Ulbricht indicated that VJ was in charge of counter intelligence (“counter intel”) on the efforts that law enforcement (“LE”) was making to attempt to investigate Silk Road.
19. Further, another file recovered from the Ulbricht Computer was a spreadsheet file labeled “sr_accounting,” reflecting various Silk Road related expenses. These included several additional references to payments to VJ (under the online pseudonym “cimon”), including payments of approximately: (1) $93,150 in United States currency on or about November 16, 2012; (2) $50,000 in United States currency on or about May 7, 2013; and (3) $57,000 in United States currency on or about July 3, 2013.
Identification of Variety Jones
(Criminal Complaint)
20. Based on my review of chat logs between Ulbricht and various co-conspirators, I know that Ulbricht required staff members to provide a scanned copy of personal identification documents, in order to work for him as part of the Silk Road enterprise. Based on my review of the contents of the Ulbricht Computer, I know that it contained a folder labeled “IDs,” that contained a number of encrypted image files, each of which was entitled with the online pseudonym of a Silk Road coconspirator.
21. I have reviewed the contents of a decrypted version of the image file entitled “cimon.jpeg,” which contains a passport issued by Canada for ROGER THOMAS CLARK, lists his date of birth as September 13, 1961, and indicates that it was issued in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (“UK”).
22. Based on my review of open source corporate records for UK businesses that I found on the Internet, I know that ROGER THOMAS CLARK is listed on a UK corporate filing for a UKbased company called “Gypsy Nirvana Limited,” which indicates that “Thomas Clark” was a director of the company, and lists him as a Canadian national, born on September 13, 1961. In a chat recovered from the Ulbricht Computer dated June 28, 2012, “cimon” informed Ulbricht that “cimon” had “created the Gypsy Nirvana nic,” and that “a guy in England started a seed biz using my name, and me promo’ing it in public.” Based on my training and experience, and my familiarity with this investigation, I believe that in this conversation, “cimon” admitted to being involved with Gypsy Nirvana Limited, which, as noted above, was a UK-based company for which CLARK served as a director.
23. Further, on or about April 21, 2015, a cooperating witness (“CW-1”) 5 advised law enforcement, in substance and in part, that “Roger Clark” is the individual who used the online nicknames “Variety Jones,” “VJ,” in connection with Silk Road, which corresponds to the name on the identification documents recovered from the Ulbricht Computer, and that “Roger Clark” has also used the nickname “Gypsy Nirvana.” Further, CW-1 told law enforcement, in sum and substance and in part, the following about “Roger Clark,” which is consistent with disclosures made by “VJ”/“Cimon” in chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer:
a. “Roger Clark” also used the online nickname “Mongoose.” The chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer include a June 28, 2012 chat between Ulbricht and “Cimon” in which Cimon indicated that Cimon has also used the nickname “Plural of Mongoose” (“I was, and am, Plural of Mongoose. Folks who know and love me, it’s Mongoose.”).
b. “Roger Clark” is a Canadian national that had previously lived in the UK. As noted above in paragraph 21, the scanned version of the ROGER THOMAS CLARK passport recovered from the Ulbricht Computer indicates that he is a Canadian national, and that his passport was issued in the UK. This is further corroborated by chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer, which indicate that: (1) on or about May 17, 2012, “VJ” informed Ulbricht that he was facing deportation proceedings in the UK; (2) on or about June 28, 2012, “Cimon” informed Ulbricht that he would be deported to Canada if the proceedings did not go favorably for him; and (3) on or about July 6, 2012, “Cimon” informed Ulbricht that UK authorities agreed to let him depart voluntarily from the UK.
c. “Roger Clark” was living in Thailand. Chat logs recovered from the Ulbricht Computer include multiple references to “Cimon” living in Thailand by in or about September 2012, and through at least February 2013.
Overgrow.com
(antilop)
In an amazing series of posts, @lamoustache and @thegrugq explained how Clark had doxed himself in 2008 after the hostile takeover of a marijuana forum and magazine.
From Variety Jones or the old guard back in harness
Variety Jones
on Silk Road forum on June 27, 2011. From the information available on his vendor page he was selling exclusively
, shipping from the UK, and according to the website “Down the silk rabbit hole” as of November 03, 2011, Variety Jones had the
listed on Silk Road, 231. Outside of Silk Road, open Internet searches on the alias “Variety Jones” don’t immediately produce results. There is an account Variety Jones, with only 8 posts, dating from 2002, on the forum uk420.com, which looks relevant but doesn’t provide much information.
More interesting, a reference of a Variety Jones can be tracked back to February 2006 and an individual using the alias Plural of Mongoose. Plural of Mongoose presented himself as a respected member of the legendary cannabis grow site
(OG), but was also involved on a larger scale in the cannabis seeds community through various online shops selling cannabis seeds for breeders, most prominently seedsdirect.co.uk. However, before getting into the specifics we need to take a trip down memory lane, stopping first at OG.
And later:
Along the way, Plural of Mongoose with the help of, Gypsy Nirvana’s ex-girlfriend and co-owner of Gypsy Nirvana Ltd, Nicky, took over “Gypsy Nirvana ltd” and its affiliated cannabis forum and magazine www.icmag.com (
) . The love birds modified the status of the company by appointing Plural of Mongoose Director and an interesting “Mr Jones” as Secretary. After a complaint through the UK Companies House Gypsy Nirvana will eventually get his company back, under his own name and control. The legal procedure resulted in the identity of Plural of Mongoose to be revealed as Thomas Clark a Canadian citizen, born in 1961 and living in Surrey, UK.
Motherboard Dox
(Motherboard)
In 2015, Motherboard published “These Are the Two Forgotten Architects of Silk Road.” The author revisits the Variety Jones alias and describes information discovered while “digging through the email account of Variety Jones.” That information, of course, led back to Clark.
There were two crucial but lesser-known players involved who have yet to be publicly unmasked, however.
These individuals coded large portions of the site and attempted to expand Silk Road from a single drug market into a cryptographic empire with a range of services.
Through a source, Motherboard has gained access to emails sent and received by one of those characters, who is perhaps best known by the pseudonym Variety Jones. This reporter has seen first hand the contents of this email account, and verified that it is legitimate.
The information in these emails led to two names: Mike Wattier and Thomas Clark.
Logs
@lamoustache has an archive chat logs used as evidence during the Ulbricht trial. Some of them are more interesting than others, such as government exhibit u7y2e2c3rbfqzjfe.log. The chat is between Ulbricht and “Cimon,” one of Clark’s aliases. The chat is presented as filed by the government.
(2012-10-29 14:27) cimon: on btctalk, there are folks who when you just started out save you shroom packs. Coulple that with educatoin and empoloyment I know - yer one of 12 folks in the world. Easy odds.
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: Sorry, don’t mean to worry ya - I’m making a point that I have 10 times more on D A - if needed, I can lay my finger on him in weeks, easy. He leaked more info like a seive than you did. Also, keep in mind I’ve shipped shit to his prev addy. Not hard to track from there.
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: and my point is I want to find him, and have a chat - if it’s ok with you.
(2012-10-29 14:29) myself: go ahead
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: Just make sure he’s on side, is all.
(2012-10-29 14:29) myself: I wouldn’t think the info you have would narrow me down to 12
(2012-10-29 14:29) cimon: nothing bad will happen - it’s just talk
(2012-10-29 14:30) cimon: (04:29:53) Dipper: I wouldn’t think the info you have would narrow me down to 12 Bet? ;)
(2012-10-29 14:30) myself: just don’t spook him too bad. I wouldn’t want him freaking out and attacking you or something
(2012-10-29 14:30) myself: where are you getting the number 12? do you have a list?
(2012-10-29 14:31) cimon: naw - if anything I’m gonna see if I can help him. I’m sure he’s stressted, scared, and just a little bit fucked up in general.
(2012-10-29 14:31) cimon: 12’s an estimate - could be as high - but no higher - than 10, and no less than 8
(2012-10-29 14:32) myself: I call bs
(2012-10-29 14:32) cimon: Well, unless you lied in the early days, yer right
(2012-10-29 14:33) myself: not sure what the bet would be or how to settle it, but I’d take it
(2012-10-29 14:33) cimon: but if you didn’t - and I don’t think DA did - then my good memeory serves me well
(2012-10-29 14:34) myself: from what I remember, you know my educational background (sort of), you can infer my gender, age, race, etc. and you know where I was a year and a half ago roughly when I started the site
(2012-10-29 14:34) myself: does that really narrow me down to 12 people?
(2012-10-29 14:34) myself: you could estimate my travels a bit based on timezone
(2012-10-29 14:35) cimon: yeah - I’m not looking for you - but you’ve left enough hints - where you went to school - when you started to work and left - info from folks on btctalk who posted images of postmarks from shrooms you sent - yeah - I could narrow it down quick.
(2012-10-29 14:35) myself: where i went to school
(2012-10-29 14:35) myself: ?
(2012-10-29 14:35) myself: I don’t remember revealing anything like that
(2012-10-29 14:36) cimon: dude, I’m not trying to worry you - I’m making the point that DA slippped way more shit that you.
(2012-10-29 14:37) myself: you are worrying me! won’t you ease my mind and tell me what you think you know?
(2012-10-29 14:37) cimon: I mean, yer fine, how many experimantal physicists quit to sell shrooms outta ndl anyways, eh.
(2012-10-29 14:38) myself: shit, you know about the national dodgeball league!
(2012-10-29 14:38) myself: my cover is blown
(2012-10-29 14:38) cimon: goddammit! I was making a point, not trying to worry you. Do I think I could find you quickly - absolutley. Would I - what the fuck would I want to do that for - then I have info folks would kill me for. I’d rather not know - the point is it’s easy to let info out, and DA did, and I ’ll spend $ to follow it up. Shit, if I really wanted to just see you, I’d just ask.
(2012-10-29 14:40) myself: it’s ok man, just never thought you were capable of that
(2012-10-29 14:40) myself: what’s ndl?
(2012-10-29 14:40) cimon: You know - I post up, and give you shitloads of info that could if you tried just a bit (fuck, Plural of Mongoose alone should do it!) that you could determine exactly who I am. I did that to make you feel comfortable.
(2012-10-29 14:41) myself: i know
(2012-10-29 14:41) cimon: If you can’t find me in 10 days, you’ve not read my shit.
(2012-10-29 14:41) myself: it’s not like I don’t trust you dude
(2012-10-29 14:41) cimon: That’s my way of trying to make you comfy - there ain’t much more I can do.
(2012-10-29 14:42) cimon: dude, you so don’t trust me - I know you want to, but it’s not there yet. I’m doing my best to make it easy for you.
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: i guess there are different levels
(2012-10-29 14:42) cimon: Fuck, I scare you. Shit, I scare me. We gotta work together
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: but I beleive you when you say you wouldn’t look for me
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: but there is a difference between willing and able
(2012-10-29 14:42) myself: thats all
(2012-10-29 14:43) cimon: The reason I don’t look for you is that leaves a trail - but I’m pretty confident if I did, I’d find you. And that’s just a fact.
(2012-10-29 14:43) myself: didn’t think you were able before, but I guess you are
(2012-10-29 14:43) cimon: But, I’d rather some day you came to see me.
(2012-10-29 14:43) myself: I will
(2012-10-29 14:43) myself: or I’ll invite you somewhere
(2012-10-29 14:44) cimon: shit, now I’m worried you think I’m being, I dunno…
(2012-10-29 14:44) myself: we’ll get to embrace, and shoot the shit, and brainstorm
(2012-10-29 14:44) cimon: Fuck, do I need to knock on yer door and NOT shoot ya to make you trust me? Tell me.
(2012-10-29 14:45) myself: lol
(2012-10-29 14:45) cimon: heh
(2012-10-29 14:46) myself: yer fine… just me processing info. I guess I revealed too much.
(2012-10-29 14:46) myself: selling was my first mistake
(2012-10-29 14:46) cimon: Now, back on track - do you have a prob with me having one of my folks tap on DA’s door, and having a talk
(2012-10-29 14:46) myself: nope, go for it
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: yeah - there are records on reddit, and bitcointalk, where folks have scans of your shipments - that was the key
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: but great shrooms, apparently!
(2012-10-29 14:47) myself: they were fucking awesome
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: but postmarks narrow it down
(2012-10-29 14:47) cimon: with everything else, yeah, I could find ya\
(2012-10-29 14:48) cimon: but that said, no one else knows, no one else ever will, and I won’t do that.
(2012-10-29 14:48) myself: thank you
(2012-10-29 14:49) cimon: and further to that, the DPR thing is great, and we need to make at least one publid set of statements that indicates that the old admin is long gone, and dpr is now in charge. Keep in mind the movie, and how dpr can change from one time to the next. I’ve got yer back.
(2012-10-29 14:49) myself: yea, I was thinking the same thing
(2012-10-29 14:49) myself: have a back story for him
(2012-10-29 14:50) cimon: I suggested DPR when I first realized I could track you. I don’t give a shit who you are, and it’s to my and everyone’s advantage no one else can.
(2012-10-29 14:50) cimon: DPR by it’s very nature indicates a rotating command. We’ll play that.
That is it for now. But if you made it this far, I suggest you read the Silk Road Timeline
