Brno, Oct 9 (CTK) – The Regional Court in Brno on Monday sentenced Tomas Jirikovsky to nine years in prison for stealing bitcoins worth about 16 million crowns from the Sheep Marketplace web, drug trading and illegal arms possession, the court’s spokeswoman Eva Sigmundova told CTK.
The verdict has not taken effect yet and both the suspect and the prosecution may appeal against it.
Jirikovsky, 29, pleads innocent.
The Sheep Marketplace was a Darknet market offering anonymous communication secured by the Tor software, which operated in 2013.
According to the state attorney, Jirikovsky was the operator of the Sheep Marketplace and he profited from each transaction. As mostly illegal drugs were offered at the anonymous marketplace, he was charged with trading in drugs. He also owned several firearms illegally.
After two Americans stole bitcoins worth roughly 100 million crowns from the Sheep Marketplace, Jirikovsky took the rest of the bitcoins in the marketplace.
Jirikovsky rejected the view that he operated the Darknet website, but a cybernetic expert concluded that he was the operator after examining Jirikovsky’s mobile phone and computer.
A database with all the transactions made at Sheep Marketplace on a given day, full of sensitive data, was revealed in the mobile phone.
Jirikovsky’s wife was considered an accomplice in the crime as the prosecution said she helped legalise the stolen bitcoins, but the court acquitted her on Monday.
