Tal Prihar, a 37-year old Israeli living in Brazil, pleaded guilty Wednesday to operating illegal transactions on the darknet, including purchasing firearms, heroin, and other contraband.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
According to court documents, Phihar and his partner, another Israeli named Michael Phan, earned $8.4 million through running DeepDotWeb, a website that provided users with direct links to illegal darknet marketplaces. In return, Phihar and Phan received payments from the marketplaces in the form of bitcoin virtual currency.
To conceal the payments, Phihar transferred them from his bitcoin wallet to other accounts he owned in the names of shell companies.
DeepDotWeb was seized by federal authorities in April 2019. Both Phihar and Phan were indicted on Wednesday, and the website was shut down.
"This prosecution, seizure of the broker website, and forfeiture send a clear message that we are not only prosecuting the administrators of darknet marketplaces offering illegal goods and services, but we will also bring to justice those that aim to facilitate and profit from them," Acting Assistant Attorney-General Nicholas McQuaid of the Justice Department's Criminal Division said.
"For six years, DeepDotWeb was a gateway to facilitate the illegal purchase of items to include dangerous drugs, weapons, and malicious software," Acting Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples of the FBI's Pittsburgh Field Office said.
"Prihar profited as a byproduct from other people's dangerous transactions, and today's guilty plea sends a message to other cyber actors across the globe who think the dark web is a safe haven. The FBI works with our local, state, federal, and international partners regularly to dismantle illicit websites and go after those responsible for them," Peeples added.
Prihar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 2 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
