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Is The DoJ Taking “Vacations” To Jurisdictions Which Harbor Bitcoin Exchanges?

Last Updated March 4, 2021 4:45 PM
Justin OConnell
Last Updated March 4, 2021 4:45 PM
Roger Ver MtGox
Roger Ver speaking at LeWeb 2013. Picture via LeWeb13.

Bitcoin investor Roger Ver divulged details regarding the arrest of Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles which had not yet come to light for the Coin Congress 2015 crowd in San Francisco’s Hilton Union Square. The Bitcoin entrepreneur suspects that the US government is visiting jurisdictions in which Bitcoin exchanges operate, having visited not only Tokyo where Mark Karpeles of Mt. Gox resides, but also Slovenia, home of Bitcoin exchange BitStamp. 

“I think people should know the federal prosecutor Kathryn Haun flew out to Tokyo a few weeks before Mark Karpeles was arrested,” he said. Haun is an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the United States Department of Justice.

“Although I do not know for sure, I suspect that the US government is putting pressure on the Japanese government,” Ver told the Coin Congress crowd. “Haun told everyone she was just there for vacation, but a couple of weeks ago I was in Slovenia where BitStamp is headquartered and low-and-behold this exact same woman was there on vacation in Slovenia.” Haun brought charges against the agents, Carl Mark Force IV of the DEA and Shaun Bridges of the Secret Service, charged with wire fraud, money laundering and other offenses for their illicit activity during the Silk Road investigation.

Ver suspects that “The US government is flying around to various countries where Bitcoin exchanges are located.” Ver had reservations about how the Karpeles case has thus far been handled by Japanese authorities.

What they arrested him for isn’t the big problem we are all mad about. They arrested him for testing the system and I want people to test out their systems – though I’d prefer it to be off the live system.

Ver pointed out that the Japanese police did not arrest Karpeles for losing everyone’s bitcoins.

“They arrested him for doing some test trades on the system, and they were to the tune of a couple of hundred dollars on an exchange that is doing tens of millions dollars,” Ver said. “I don’t think any of us would be mad that a programmer tested a system. What they arrested him for is not what we are mad about.”

Featured image from Shutterstock.