Man Sentenced To Jail for Trying To Buy Chemical Weapons with Bitcoin

A man from Missouri has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for attempting to kill someone by purchasing a chemical weapon on the dark web using Bitcoin as payment. 

Illegal Bitcoin Purchase Meant To Kill Lover

The man named Jason William Siesser tried to purchase the highly lethal chemical weapon twice before being caught.

Siesser had planned to use the chemical weapon to poison a woman who had ended a relationship with him.

According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), there were writings found in Siesser’s home, proving that he was hurting and angry over the breakup.

Siesser admitted that he attempted to purchase the chemical weapon on two occasions between June 14 and August 23, 2018. He used a juvenile’s name and attached a shipping address without authorization.

He also placed orders for a highly toxic chemical in amounts that would kill many people. He ordered 10-milliliter units of the chemical on his first try, but the seller did not ship the chemical.

A month later, Siesser tried again and ordered three 10-milliliter units of the weapon and paid for the order with Bitcoin, then valued at $150.

Upon receipt of the package, Siesser hid it inside his residence. It was then that law enforcement executed a search warrant where they discovered the package in his garage next to two unopened boxes.

Inside the boxes, law enforcement deputies found 10 grams of cadmium arsenide, a toxic and deadly chemical if ingested or inhaled, about 100 grams of cadmium metal, and about 500 mL hydrochloric acid. 

Bitcoin Is Beloved By The Dark Web

Although the proportion of Bitcoin transactions dedicated to illegal purchases such as the ones done on the dark web is reportedly declining, darknet spending still exists.

The Dark Web is an unregulated part of the internet known as the shopping center for criminals. The dark web is where they procure anything from child porn, drugs, finance terrorists, run guns, and the likes. The currency of this bizarre world, Bitcoin.

Several cases of people transacting on the dark web using Bitcoin are coming up. Two months ago, a woman named Kelly Harper was arrested after hiring an assassin on the dark web using Bitcoin.

She was caught after the FBI’s Money Laundering, Forfeiture, and Bank Fraud Unit identified her IP address, email account, and phone number associated with the Bitcoin wallet used.

Another case is a 20-year-old man in India accused of procuring and supplying drugs on the dark web through Bitcoins.

Last year there was a full-blown operation called Helix, which partnered with now-defunct underground marketplace AlphaBay, where over $300 million was laundered via Bitcoin.

The US Department of Justice also charged the man behind this operation, Larry Dean Harmon of Akron, for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.