The US Marshals Service (USMS) has revealed that its fourth and final auction of confiscated Silk Road bitcoins resulted in four winners.

The public announcement adds certainty to the speculation surrounding the 5th November event, which saw 11 registered bidders compete for blocks totalling 44,000 BTC (valued at roughly $14.6m at press time).

So far, only one winner has made public their purchasing of auction blocks, with New York-based bitcoin exchange itBit confirming it successfully secured five blocks on behalf of a syndicate of clients and investors.

Figures provided by the USMS indicate that itBit’s total was surpassed by another unknown entity, which garnered more than 24,000 BTC (worth roughly $8.1m). Other, as yet unknown bidders, claimed smaller percentages of the total.

The agency said:

“The latest U.S. Marshals Service Bitcoin auction resulted in four winning bidders. The breakdown of bitcoins won by bidder[s] is 4,000, 6,000, 10,000 and approximately 24,341 bitcoins.”

Blockchain analysis conducted by online observers had previously suggested that as many as three to four winners had secured bitcoins as part of the auction.

Image via the US Marshals