Roman Sterlingov is wrongfully accused of operating Bitcoin Fog, a
#Bitcoin
mixing service. This is the first in a series of threads I will post in an effort to spread word of this unjust prosecution.
Brampton's own Sunil Tulsiani,
@TheWealthyCop
, gets absolutely ROASTED by Edward Snowden,
@Snowden
, as Sunil attempts to solicit more victims for his
#Toronto
-based "private investment club"
#Ponzi
scheme.
(The end is hilarious.)
Computer code is speech.
You don't arrest the author of The Anarchist Cookbook. You arrest the person who builds a bomb.
Censoring Free Speech is a slippery slope, the First Amendment is key to capitalist democracy.
The
#ghostofkyiv
is the best story I have seen today.
"A lone Ukrainian pilot has confirmed 6 aerial take downs in a single day. They're calling him the 'Ghost of Kyiv'"
Next week I'll post a thread about Chainalysis Inc., and their involvement in this case. I'll discuss how the government relies on unproven, heuristic analysis from Chainalysis, and how their black-box blockchain surveillance techniques do not meet scientific forensic standards.
Privacy is for the People.
How do people feel about Mullvad VpN?
They have a huge advertising campaign in NYC right now.
Last year, the Swedish National Operations Department exercised a search warrant and, true to Mullvad's policy, no customer data was found on their systems.
I had the pleasure of attending some
#Bitcoin
meetups in Europe last month. We spoke in Zürich, Munich, Berlin and Stuttgart. I understand why Roman was attracted to these meetups. They were fun, social, and filled with lovely people who have optimistic visions for the future.
Roman is transferred to the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia where he remains to this day. Trapped in a Kafkaesque nightmare in a place he's never set foot in.
Roman learns that when he makes Bitcoin transactions, his wallet address becomes public. He worries that someone could target him and steal his funds. From this point on, Roman incorporates mixing into his personal privacy practices when transferring
#Bitcoin
.
In 2003, Roman moves from Russia to Jönköping with his mother. At school he excels in math and science and loves learning about technology. In 2010, he first hears about bitcoin. He is excited by this new technology and learns how to set up wallets & funds them with his paycheck.
In search of a career and a stable income, Roman enrolls in a commercial pilot licensing class in California. In April 2021, he flies to LAX where he is arrested by the FBI and accused of operating Bitcoin Fog for the past seven years.
Confused and shocked, Roman is stunned to hear that he is accused of creating and operating Bitcoin Fog. He gets locked up in California where a Magistrate judge issues an order for him to be "detained indefinitely".
In 2011 BTC trades at ~$0.30. Roman travels to Bitcoin meetups as they begin to proliferate across Europe. At these meetups, Roman meets like-minded individuals and helps them set up wallets of their own.
At one of these meetups, someone tells Roman he should mix his Bitcoin before selling it to people he doesn't know. At this time there is no Bitcoin marketplace - like Kraken or Coinbase - all transaction are done peer-to-peer and require a level of trust.
By 2017 Roman's realizes he's spent a lot of his Bitcoin. Bitcoin is continuing to appreciate, but Roman isn't accumulating any new Bitcoin. He tries his hand at trading & multiple business ventures including a VPN, a music studio & a life coaching business. All his efforts fail.
In 2014, Roman creates a Kraken account and begins using it as his daily Bitcoin account. By this time Bitcoin had appreciated to ~$475. Roman leaves his job and lives off the appreciation of his investment.
Great catching up with
@DouglasTuman
at the
@FinneyForum
. Doug was the first to give us a platform to speak out about Roman's case.
There's no doubt in my mind that Roman is innocent. The Government's blockchain tracing got undeserved primacy with the jury. We will appeal.
Roman Sterlingov found guilty of running Bitcoin Fog based on Bitcoin’s traceability sets dangerous precedent w/
@TorEkelandPLLC
&
@mikehassard
/ EPI 304
Link 🔗:
- Details of the Case and Lack of Evidence
- The Implications of this Case on Privacy
-
@fameboy
@TorEkelandPLLC
and I are Roman's defense attorneys. All donations are used for his defense. Expenses include expert witness fees, transcripts, travel/lodging co-counsel fees, legal assistants, jury consultants, focus groups, software licenses, the list goes on.
Incredible conversation with
@JohnKiriakou
and
@TorEkelandPLLC
about being a federal prisoner, the history of the
#EspionageAct
, and the invasion of Iraq (among other intriguing topics). This discussion will be released as the first episode of the
#InLimine
Podcast.
@TorEkelandPLLC
and I will be speaking at the Zürich Bitcoin Meetup on Apr. 19 at 6pm CEST. We will discuss the disturbing crypto prosecution of Roman Sterlingov and how all crypto users are impacted by this expansive prosecution.
#FreeRoman
@lucas_lclc
Just finished a great conversation on
#CitizenDispatch
with
@ODELL
and
@TorEkelandPLLC
about the Disturbing Bitcoin Prosecution of Roman Sterlingov.
The
#Bitcoin
community is starting to rally behind Roman. Together we can help free an innocent man!
#FreeRoman
"The original prosecutor on the case has since joined Chainalysis and serves as their General Counsel and has been replaced by the FBI agent who initiated the investigation against Roman...It all stinks to the heavens"
The case of Roman Sterlingov and his alleged involvement with Bitcoin Fog is a very scary one. It involves a revolving door between the Justice Department, the FBI, the IRS and
@chainalysis
and insidiously perverse incentives.
@JustinTrudeau
So you'll be taking handguns away from the police as well ..... right? Cant allow the government to have a monopoly on violence. That has never worked in tbe past.
#BTCL
ÄNDLE was a wonderful conference!
@PrincessPlo
Thanks for inviting us and providing a platform to get Roman Sterlingov's story out to the German Bitcoin Community!
#FreeRoman
We're coming for you, Roman!
"I did not create Bitcoin Fog. I was never an administrator of Bitcoin Fog,” Sterlingov told WIRED, speaking from a Northern Virginia jail. "...It’s a Kafkaesque nightmare."
#FreeRoman
Standards need to be established in field of blockchain forensics so more innocent cryptocurrency users don't wind up convicted for crimes they did not commit like Roman Sterlingov.
#FreeRoman
In our efforts to
#FreeRoman
we find ourselves on the front lines of this battle against the nascent American surveillance state.
The US Government shouldn't be able to buy its way around the Fourth Amendment.
When stopped by police, remember these lines:
1. Am I free to go?
2. I don't consent to any searches.
3. I want to speak with my lawyer.
If the police knock on your door, step outside to talk with them. Always shut the door behind you. If they enter your home say
#2
.
Very cool to speak in the same theater that has hosted the likes of Stalin and AC/DC.
It was a wonderful evening, and it's lovely to see the Bitcoin community come together when one of our own gets unjustly prosecuted.
I know Roman appreciates the support!
#FreeRoman
Incredibile story of Roman Sterlingov, an early Bitcoin adopter, accused by the US government of operating the crypto mixer Bitcoin Frog, without a single piece of evidence. Roman faces 50 years to life in prison. Thanks
@bitcoin_ch
for hosting
@TorEkelandPLLC
and
@mikehassard
🚨 We're excited to announce Tor Ekeland (
@TorEkelandPLLC
) will be the Keynote Speaker at Finney Forum 2024!
Ekeland is representing Roman Sterlingov, accused by the US government of being the founder of Bitcoin Fog, a mixing service that allegedly participated in illegal money
This is such a great story! A group of kids used XMR to gamble on soccer. They kept winning, but had nowhere to spend it. So they convinced their local businesses to accept XMR. This small area of Argentina now leads the world in XMR adoption. Now they're hosting the Copa Monero!
12 teams. 15 games. 1 Copa Monero! 🏆All live streamed from
@LIBERTAD_CAL
Monero Stadium in Ibarreta, Argentina!!More details coming soon…follow
@copamonero
as we gear up to start the tournament in the coming weeks!!!
DM me if you are a Monero or Privacy Tech related
@fameboy
@TorEkelandPLLC
No problem. Feel free to check out our website: . Please consider donating to Roman's defense. The more we build up in our war chest, the more resources we have to combat the Government's wrongful prosecution and Chainalysis's faulty forensics.
TONIGHT'S EVENT
Profits Over Justice: The Disturbing American Crypto Prosecution of Roman Sterlingov
@TorEkelandPLLC
&
@mikehassard
Café Holzmarktperle
Holzmarktstraße 25
Berlin, Germany
April 25, 2023
19:00
Open to All
#FreeRoman
The Supreme Court has a very interesting docket right now. Keep your eye on Vega v. Tekoh. It's a curious case on Miranda warnings and Section 1983 that could signal whether the conservative justices are now willing to let police NOT read suspects their rights.
Sometimes the career path from US federal law enforcement agencies to private firms like Chainalysis or Binance leads to more than just 7-figure salaries.
#FreeRoman
Wow, I didn’t know the the full story about the “Binance exec” that was detained in Nigeria, but this is a crazy story.
Tigran Gambaryan is an employee of Binance, who along with others traveled to Nigeria for scheduled meetings with various Nigerian authorities, including
Exclusive: P2P crypto ban imminent as Nigeria calls crypto a national security issue: If the ban happens, it will represent a major regulatory shift after the Bola Tinubu administration initially softened its stance on crypto.
Looking forward to speaking at the Finney Forum in Dallas, Texas later this week.
I will present a legal analysis of the Blockchain Surveillance State and the threats it presents to digital privacy.
Privacy is Normal
Way to go Eric Renfroe!
Eric, a good law school friend of mine, got an exoneration for Steven Lopez.
33 years ago, Steven was WRONGFULLY ACCUSED of raping a Central Park jogger in a highly publicized case that highlighted systemic racism in NYC.
1943 Halifax, Nova Scotia - Seen here in the white coat, Martin Hassard (my grandfather), worked with Canada Research to shrink SONAR technology enough to be put on ships to search for German Submarines. They identified Nazi subs in the St. Lawrence and along the Atlantic Coast.
Interest is growing in US v. Sterlingov. The international community is stepping up to spread the word about this unjust prosecution.
There need to be international standards for Digital Forensics.
#Chainalysis
's work is shoddy, inaccurate and driven by profit motives.
Next month's
#Bitcoin
Meetup:
Learn how the US government holds a man in prison for 2 years already without conviction solely on the results of
#Chainalysis
. 😳
Chainalysis Panel: Implications of Black-Box Blockchain Surveillance
Featuring:
Tor Ekeland
Mike Hassard
Peter Todd
Francisco "ArticMine" Cabañas
Twitter:
@TorEkelandPLLC
@mikehassard
Huerto Roma Verde
Colonia Roma, Mexico City
May 6, 2023
14:00
@monerotopia
#FreeRoman
Thanks for inviting us onto your platform & helping to get Roman's story out there.
This case is the most important case in the computer world right now.
Roman is completely innocent, and this prosecution is a grave miscarriage of justice.
#FreeRoman
“When fingerprints were first used in forensics, they were subject to this confirmation bias, and the same thing happened with hair analysis, dental records and even DNA analysis,” Michael Hassard recalled.
#CyberSecurity
#StandWithMorocco
@TorEkelandPLLC
Yesterday I was on my deck watching a storm front roll in off Lake Huron. Suddenly waterspouts formed over the lake and a series of tornados hit the beach.
The whole thing was over in 5 mins.
We never used to get tornados this far north.
#GlobalWarming
is real.
First they came for Roman Sterlingov, and I did not speak out—because I did not use Bitcoin Fog.
Then they came for the Tornado cash dev, and I did not speak out—because I was not running an
#ETH
mixer.
Then they came for the Samourai Wallet dev, and I did not speak
For everyone following Roman Sterlingov's case. Here's the public docket. We scrape all the PACER entries so the public can follow along here:
#FreeRoman
The 29-year old co-founder of MakerDAO, Nikolai Muchgian, was found dead today in San Juan, Puerto Rico after tweeting this tweet from his personal twitter account.
CIA and Mossad and pedo elite are running some kind of sex trafficking entrapment blackmail ring out of Puerto Rico and caribbean islands. They are going to frame me with a laptop planted by my ex gf who was a spy. They will torture me to death.
This bill compromises the privacy of every single American. If this bill is passed into law, you will see many innocent people go to jail for serious time.
This is VERY 1984. I can't believe so few people are talking about this bill.
If the bill becomes law, any company or individual that provides ANY service whatsoever may be forced to assist in NSA surveillance, as long as they have access to equipment on which communications are transmitted or stored—such as routers, servers, cell towers, etc. 6/25
Roman is 100% innocent. He's been misidentified as Bitcoin Fog's creator by Chainalysis's sloppy heuristic tracing.
DOJ is trying to use this case to legitimize Chainalysis's tracing software so they can use it to prosecute others.
We need to get him out.
#FreeRoman
@RnaudBertrand
That seems to be how it goes. Especially with DOJ. Prosecutors do the bidding of big corporations while they work for the government and then go on to 8 figure jobs at those same corporations.