FBI arrests alleged Silk Road creator's mentor in Thailand
He was reportedly Ross Ulbricht's trusted confidante.
Another major Silk Road player might be facing court in the near future, specifically Roger Thomas Clark, whom the feds caught in Thailand on December 3rd. During his time as Ross Ulbricht's senior adviser, a position that the feds believe netted him hundreds of thousands of dollars at least, he used the names "Variety Jones," "VJ," "Cimon" and "Plural of Mongoose." Ulbricht once described him as a "trusted mentor," whereas the FBI likens him to a mob boss consigliere -- think Robert Duvall's Tom Hagen in The Godfather -- as he reportedly gave the Silk Road mastermind advise on how to maximize profits and use threats of violence to keep people from talking to authorities.
In one instance wherein the two were talking about searching for a Silk Road employee to make sure he hadn't "gone off the rails," Clark apparently told Ross: "[D]ude, we're criminal drug dealers -- what line shouldn't we cross?" Authorities have charged the 54-year-old Canadian national with one count of narcotics conspiracy, which has a mandatory jailtime of 10 years and a max possible sentence of life in prison. He's also been charged with one count of money laundering conspiracy that has a maximum sentence of 20 years. The US government has formally asked Thailand to extradite Clark so he can face those charges, but since it's only been a couple of days, that request is still pending.
