Silk Road Advisor Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison While a Rogue Double-Agent Eludes Capture

On Tuesday, July 11, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, led by attorney Damian Williams, announced a 20-year prison sentence for Roger Clark. Clark was allegedly the senior advisor to the original Silk Road, an infamous darknet marketplace that operated from 2011 until 2013. Prosecutors from the office reported that Clark provided comprehensive advice to Silk Road’s founder, Ross Ulbricht, on “all aspects of the enterprise.”

Accused Silk Road Advisor Sentenced to 20 Years

Attorney Damian Williams and the Southern District of New York (SDNY) have announced that Roger Clark was sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring to distribute massive quantities of narcotics using the Silk Road marketplace. Clark was reportedly the senior advisor of the Silk Road and he had several aliases including “Variety Jones,” “Plural of Mongoose,” and “cimon.”

Clark was described as the Silk Road mentor who allegedly advised Ross Ulbricht about the Silk Road’s security, technical infrastructure, and governance rules. Clark reportedly helped Ulbricht find a software engineer to improve the Silk Road as well. “Roger Thomas Clark was a central figure in helping to lead Silk Road,” attorney Williams said on Tuesday. “Today’s sentence is another reminder that criminal marketplaces, like Silk Road, are a road to prison.”

Clark’s 2015 Revelations Reveal Rogue Officer ‘Diamond’ Remains on the Lam

In September 2015 — Prior to Clark’s arrest in June 2018 — Clark reached out to the public from his hiding place in Thailand. Using the alias “Plural of Mongoose,” he made his presence known on a darknet market forum known as Ganja forums, divulging his fugitive status from international law enforcement. When the Thai New Year rolled around in April, Clark was blindsided by a message from an individual claiming to be an FBI agent, known only as “Chrysippus” or “Diamond.”

Clark claimed that Diamond, fully cognizant of his fugitive status, was privy to extensive information about the ongoing operations of several specific darknet marketplaces. Clark’s account also hinted at Diamond’s alleged association with the notorious rogue agents, Carl Mark Force and Shaun Bridges. His 2015 narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the Silk Road investigation’s rampant ethical issues and the infiltration of double agents within law enforcement.

In an interview conducted in October 2019, Kathryn Haun, a former prosecutor for the Attorney General’s office, shed light on the dubious roles of Force and Bridges, who were apprehended for their extortion of Silk Road administrators. Haun’s interview underscored the pervasiveness of unethical conduct and duplicity within the Silk Road inquiry, with agents like Force assuming alter egos such as “Death from Above.” Haun’s revelation prompts the public to ponder: Would the government’s evidence pool be as extensive without the manipulation and intrusion of double agents and rogue officers?

Moreover, Clark’s account of “Chrysippus” or “Diamond” — a rogue law enforcement official who managed to evade capture, unlike Force and Bridges — adds another layer to the narrative. Drawing parallels to Force, this official, who went by the name Diamond, exploited the administrators of darknet marketplaces, including the operators of the Agora platform. In stark contrast to Force and Bridges, the maverick official known as Diamond continues to elude capture and incarceration.

What do you think about Clark’s sentence and the lingering presence of rogue officers like ‘Diamond’ within law enforcement? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.