Justice Department Charges Ex-federal Agents With Bitcoin Money Laundering

The Justice Department charged two former federal agents with wire fraud and money laundering related to stealing digital currency during their investigation of the Silk Road, a now-defunct online black market. The department said Monday that former agents Carl Force and Shaun Bridges were assigned to the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, and that Force was arrested March 27. Bridges surrendered Monday. The Justice Department said Force used fake online personas and engaged in bitcoin transactions to steal from the government. Bridges allegedly diverted to his personal account more than $800,000 in digital currency, DOJ said.