A FORMER Brisbane resident who has pleaded guilty to involvement with the black market website Silk Road is receiving growing support from an online fan base.

Peter Nash, 42, pleaded guilty in the Manhattan District Court to drug and money-laundering charges following his dramatic arrest in Australia in February last year.

Nash was extradited to the US in June, where he confessed to involvement as a moderator in the drug-distribution website that sold heroin, cocaine, LSD and methamphetamine.

The former New Farm resident said he became involved in the online bazaar partly for his own consumption of drugs.

“My motivation was to buy controlled substances for my own use and to socialise,” Nash said.

The former disability support worker told the court that while he was aware of the website’s role in moving $US200 million of drugs, he was not involved in their distribution. He said he was employed to moderate the chat room “for scams … and to delete spam”.

He has denied charges of computer hacking.

Nash said that he was paid between $US25,000 and $US30,000 for his 10-month involvement in Silk Road.

“I deeply regret my conduct and any offence it might have caused,” he told Judge Thomas Griesa.

A user of social media website Reddit this month organised a fundraising campaign for Nash, describing him as “pillar of the (dark net markets) community”.

The user, Bruce Campbell, set up a link for others to make bitcoin donations to go towards buying books and magazines and prison costs during Nash’s incarceration in Manhattan Correctional Centre.

According to a link left in the fundraising posts, users had raised more than four bitcoins — converting to about $A1500 — by late yesterday.

Among supporters was investigative journalist Eileen Ormsby, whose book Silk Road exposed the online trading site.

Ormsby posted a thankyou message on Reddit that she credited to Nash a day before he was due to face court.

The message praises Bruce Campbell and another moderator called Lobali for instigating the support, which Nash described as totally unexpected.

“As we say down under you are bloody legends! Any books will be greatly appreciated! I spend more time reading these days.”

Nash’s guilty plea comes a month after the mastermind of Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, was found guilty of distributing drugs, computer hacking and money laundering.

Nash could face life in jail when sentenced on May 26.

###