SAN FRANCISCO—In his first court appearance since being arrested, Silk Road 2.0 suspect Blake Benthall appeared before a federal judge on Thursday. He was not in handcuffs or shackles; the accused wore street clothes, including a gray hoodie that read "INTERNET BETTER" across the back.

During the brief hearing, Benthall did not speak other than to say that he is the named suspect and to confirm his age as 26. He looked at a few women and a couple of men seated in court and appeared to be holding back tears, but those people declined to speak to Ars before or after the hearing.

His attorney, Daniel Blank, a federal public defender, said that he only met his client for the first time in court on Thursday. "You could fill a large volume with what I don't know," Blank told reporters after the hearing.

As Benthall has not been given a formal indictment, he did not enter a plea.

The hearing lasted around 15 minutes, resulting in Judge Jacqueline Scott Conley's decision to allow a custody hearing on Friday before Benthall's likely transfer to New York, where the federal complaint originated.

The FBI New York office declined to comment on the circumstances of Benthall's arrest, referring Ars only to its press release.

In court, federal prosecutor Kathryn Haun said that Benthall was likely to flee and should not be released. "He was found with over $100,000 in cash at home," Haun told the court. "He has a passport. We're not aware of whether that was secured. In addition to all of the detail, Mr. Benthall did admit to everything after receiving his Miranda rights—that he was the administrator of Silk Road 2.0. Our principle basis is flight risk at this point."

Benthall will be interviewed by federal investigators as part of "pretrial services" on Thursday and will likely be held in custody in Oakland. He is due to appear in court in San Francisco again on Friday.

Listing image by FBI