The FBI started looking into Richo's dark web activities in the fall of 2013, according to a criminal complaint filed against him. The following year, authorities reported raiding his West Haven home, seizing computers, hard drives and other storage devices.
Man Admits To Stealing $365,000 In Bitcoin Through 'Dark Web' Scam
With thousands of stolen log-ins to a clandestine segment of the internet known as the "dark web," a Wallingford man admitted he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of the digital currency bitcoin.
Michael Richo, 35, waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges that stemmed from the phishing scam he ran from his computer, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
The FBI started looking into Richo's dark web activities in the fall of 2013, according to a criminal complaint filed against him. The following year, authorities reported raiding his West Haven home, seizing computers, hard drives and other storage devices.
Agreeing to speak to agents, Richo admitted at the time that would grab the username and passwords for people's dark web accounts, the complaint said. Once he had access to these accounts, he would use a program to see if the user would deposit bitcoin, a cryptocurrency used on the darkweb.
He told authorities that he would snatch the bitcoin from the accounts before the user could get to it, and using another password, he would mask his trail, the complaint said. Once he had the bitcoin, he would sell them for cash deposits, prepaid debit cards and money transfers, the complaint said.
Richo told investigators that he had amassed roughly 10,000 logins, which he then used to steal "six figures" worth of bitcoin, the complaint said.
All told, federal authorities said, he stole $365,000 worth of bitcoin before he was charged.
http://www.courant.com/breaking-news/hc-dark-web-phishing-guilty-plea-0629-20170628-story.html