This whole mess is not good for bitcoin's image. I'm glad they caught him. (I hope they have the right guy)
I'm surprised they let him keep posting on the internet.
Topic: Cats lead Feds to KnightMB (worth 371kBTC) in Romney Tax Hack. - page 4. (Read 12385 times)
November 11, 2012, 03:10:29 PM
November 11, 2012, 03:00:25 PM
He is either stupid or innocent.
November 11, 2012, 03:00:07 PM
Surely he's not this stupid: http://forums.timekoin.org/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=84 by KnightMB » Wed Sep 12, 2012 7:51 am
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I looked around, seems to be two stories. One that says the group "Anonymous" has released them and another that some group got them from his tax office. I think the latter is true and the former was a news hoax. I did read a topic over at the bitcoin.org forum about this as well. They seem to think the FBI will track them down right away.
November 11, 2012, 01:10:47 PM
Sigh, nobody ever listens to Miranda.
November 11, 2012, 01:07:46 PM
So a pile of clothes and a kee kat led the cops to this dude. Cat people be warned.
Well... A USB stick containing the Romney ransom note was delivered to PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Tennessee.
Quite incredibly, KnightMB admits to having had the same exact USB stick in his possession.
From: http://www.thedaily.com/article/2012/11/09/110912-news-romney-tax-raid/
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Michael Brown, 34, told The Daily that ...
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“They have a flash drive that I believe belonged to me four years ago. In my line of work, I use these flash drives all the time. They get lost or they get taken.”
(Emphasis mine.) Notice how he doesn't say "a flash drive that they believe belonged to me."
By failing to shut up, he manages to incriminate himself in an interview with a newspaper.
Lesson of the day: When implicated in a crime (such as blackmailing a presidential candidate),
don't go to the paper and and tell them that the instrument of the crime belongs to you.
November 11, 2012, 01:02:27 PM
Wow, don't get cheap when you're trying to extort someone. Spend the whole $4 to get a new flash drive, lol.
November 11, 2012, 12:55:52 PM
Damn dudes...
Lets take a vote
Coins are lost.
KnightMB still has them.
KnightMB lost them early.
USA Gov has the coins unknowingly
USA Gov has the coins knowingly
Personally, I would prefer to have the coins Lost rather than the USA Gov getting 371k bitcoins.
But at the same time, 371,000/21m is a Huge amount to just "lose" and there wouldnt be any record of it, The whole world could still think "21millions coins out there", But by that time Two Million of them could get lost
Lets take a vote
Coins are lost.
KnightMB still has them.
KnightMB lost them early.
USA Gov has the coins unknowingly
USA Gov has the coins knowingly
Personally, I would prefer to have the coins Lost rather than the USA Gov getting 371k bitcoins.
But at the same time, 371,000/21m is a Huge amount to just "lose" and there wouldnt be any record of it, The whole world could still think "21millions coins out there", But by that time Two Million of them could get lost
Damn dude, make a link to poll if you want us to vote.
November 11, 2012, 12:35:32 PM
Damn dudes...
Lets take a vote
Coins are lost.
KnightMB still has them.
KnightMB lost them early.
USA Gov has the coins unknowingly
USA Gov has the coins knowingly
Personally, I would prefer to have the coins Lost rather than the USA Gov getting 371k bitcoins.
But at the same time, 371,000/21m is a Huge amount to just "lose" and there wouldnt be any record of it, The whole world could still think "21millions coins out there", But by that time Two Million of them could get lost
Lets take a vote
Coins are lost.
KnightMB still has them.
KnightMB lost them early.
USA Gov has the coins unknowingly
USA Gov has the coins knowingly
Personally, I would prefer to have the coins Lost rather than the USA Gov getting 371k bitcoins.
But at the same time, 371,000/21m is a Huge amount to just "lose" and there wouldnt be any record of it, The whole world could still think "21millions coins out there", But by that time Two Million of them could get lost
November 11, 2012, 12:18:16 PM
So a pile of clothes and a kee kat led the cops to this dude. Cat people be warned.
I highly doubt that cat alone led to KnightMB. 
November 11, 2012, 10:29:19 AM
So a pile of clothes and a kee kat led the cops to this dude. Cat people be warned.
November 11, 2012, 09:48:48 AM
edit: redone with btc logo: http://memegenerator.net/Cat371
November 11, 2012, 09:39:38 AM
Oh I know: IT WAS THE CAT!
That innocent look, it's unmistakably guilt!
November 11, 2012, 09:30:52 AM
November 10, 2012, 11:39:35 PM
I wonder if the fact that BTC were donated to both the "release" and the "suppress" address ups the ante in terms of charges. It would be kind of funny if there's some horrible additional offence with which he can be charged because people did send him funds even if the amount was tiny. I'm guessing that those funds are technically "proceeds of crime".
Oh god. I'm just reading the search and seizure warrant and they're trying to get him for racketeering offences in addition to the 3 types of fraud.
Oh god. I'm just reading the search and seizure warrant and they're trying to get him for racketeering offences in addition to the 3 types of fraud.
I see him getting slapped with a $100 fine, teaming up with some French engineer, then start accepting pre-orders for quantum mining rigs in 2014.
November 10, 2012, 08:42:21 PM
I wonder if the fact that BTC were donated to both the "release" and the "suppress" address ups the ante in terms of charges. It would be kind of funny if there's some horrible additional offence with which he can be charged because people did send him funds even if the amount was tiny. I'm guessing that those funds are technically "proceeds of crime".
Oh god. I'm just reading the search and seizure warrant and they're trying to get him for racketeering offences in addition to the 3 types of fraud.
Oh god. I'm just reading the search and seizure warrant and they're trying to get him for racketeering offences in addition to the 3 types of fraud.
November 10, 2012, 08:27:57 PM
What an idiot.
November 10, 2012, 08:19:09 PM
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why is that shot of the cat such bad quality?
Because it is easier to identify the cat from bad quality picture! November 10, 2012, 07:01:40 PM
It doesn't make sense why someone with 3m+ USD worth of bitcoins would attempt to extort one of the world's most powerful people out of another million. While he is under secret service protection and intense media scrutiny, no less.
It does if you assume that he was mostly telling the truth when he said he no longer has those Bitcoins but lying about why he no longer has them. People over on Endless-sphere were talking about reporting him to the IRS, letting his former employers know about his deception and pretty much contacting everyone to whom he might owe money or may have screwed over in the past. It's highly possible that his story about donating to Wikileaks is bullshit and that he took the Chinese relic collector route of partially returning funds rather than risk being put under intense scrutiny.
His explanation makes no sense. He claims that his family is barely scraping by on what he makes from his business, so why would he donate the last of his BTC to Wikileaks? None of his posts on this board suggest that he's altruistic. If he rid himself of whatever BTC he had left after failed investments, then I believe it was purely to cover his own ass.
November 10, 2012, 06:32:54 PM
Conspiracy theory:
No one would be dumb enough to include photos on the USB stick. Therefore we need a conspiracy.
We know that KnightMB acquired his 371k BTC by buying out partners in a BTC startup. He bought that 371k BTC for less than $5000.
The partners are likely pissed. They may have stolen the USB drive and staged the hoax in order to finger KnightMB.
No one would be dumb enough to include photos on the USB stick. Therefore we need a conspiracy.
We know that KnightMB acquired his 371k BTC by buying out partners in a BTC startup. He bought that 371k BTC for less than $5000.
The partners are likely pissed. They may have stolen the USB drive and staged the hoax in order to finger KnightMB.
hmm good call.
It doesn't make sense why someone with 3m+ USD worth of bitcoins would attempt to extort one of the world's most powerful people out of another million. While he is under secret service protection and intense media scrutiny, no less.
There is certainly a lot more than what is public to this story. Can't wait to watch it play out. All publicity is good publicity, so if this gets media attention it could be great for us.
Lottery winner syndrome. 80% of people receiving windfalls are likely to quickly squander them, and within a few years be right back where they started. Making money is half the battle, the other half is diversifying and protecting wealth, which requires intelligence and hard work. I'd bet KnightMB sold out his BTC during the price lows of 2011 and/or put a good chunk in Pirate's fund and other scams, thus explaining the desperation that must've driven him to attempt that insane extortion scam.
Or that.
It does seem very suspicious that the parents would say they don't recognize their friends' cats, but their daughter, presumably before the parents had the ability to coach her, identified them. Although at the same time, if they are innocent, they are freaking out, and could be excused for not picking a cat out of a lineup from a black and white photo.
This is a government investigation, so we have to assume everything that becomes public is not true.
November 10, 2012, 03:36:25 PM
What did the cat have anything to do with it?
http://www.thedaily.com/article/2012/11/09/110912-news-romney-tax-raid/
why is that shot of the cat such bad quality?
http://downloads.thedaily.com/ui-images/2012/11/09/110912-news-romney-tax-raid-3-ss-662w-at-1x.jpg
Because the photographers over at BFL didn't take them.
BFL = Beautiful Feline Lithography?
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