GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Michael Carlton Paiva, whose late father, Arthur Paiva, was the ringleader in the 1979 killing of Hope College student Janet Chandler, was sentenced to prison for his role in a "dark web" drug conspiracy.

Paiva, 30, of Norton Shores, was sentenced Thursday, March 9, to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker.

Paiva suffered years of "heartbreak" after his father was convicted of "unimaginable crimes," his family said.

He was identified as a buyer of amphetamines and psychedelic compounds - including MDMA, LSD, mescaline and liquid mushrooms - after an international police operation brought down "Silk Road 2.0," known as a "dark web marketplace" for drug distribution.

He ordered drugs from at least 2013 to 2016, using Bitcoin, a digital currency not sponsored or regulated by the government, or traded through banks or a central clearinghouse. He converted cash into Bitcoin to make online drug buys, the government said.

"Drug traffickers who believe that the dark web and cryptocurrency will provide anonymity and shield them from the rule of law are solely mistaken," Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge said.

Steve Francis, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit, said that "criminals have the false impression that their black market activity using digital currency like Bitcoin are avoiding scrutiny."

Paiva's attorney, Paul Mitchell, said his client grew up in a good home environment with his mother, stepfather and sister, Jamie.

He had been involved in the drug subculture but his life was turned upside down when his biological father was convicted in 2007 in the 1979 rape and killing of Hope College student Janet Chandler.

"This came as a complete shock to the family and especially to Mike and Jamie Paiva," Mitchell wrote.

The events were "earthshaking," Mitchell wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

"Needless to say, this catastrophic turn of events would seem to have thrust Michael into the aforementioned subculture. It is of course quite possible that that was going to happen regardless of any intervening trauma, however these circumstance, could not have helped to steer Michael away from a culture that was not only destructive but illegal ... .

"It is quite interesting however to see in hindsight that the trauma described by Jamie Paiva and experienced by both siblings resulted in sister Jamie ultimately pursuing a significant career in nursing and brother Michael pursuing the 'dark web,'" Mitchell wrote.

"Interesting or not, that is precisely and tragically what happened. Unfortunately people can react to trauma in different ways."

He said that his client, "bright and personable," can lead a productive life.

His sister said the siblings "endured years of heartbreak, mental and emotional distress from our father being convicted of unimaginable crimes in 2007. ... To be told that your father, the person you adore most in the entire world, partook in the kidnapping, rape and murder of a young woman in 1979 is extremely traumatic."

Their father, who died in prison four years ago, was one of six Wackenhut Corp. security guards convicted of killing Chandler, who worked at the Blue Mill Inn in Holland. The guards were staying there while protecting a Chemtron plant during a bitter strike.

Chandler was abducted, raped, and strangled. Her body was left near South Haven in the wooded median of I-196.

When the strike ended, with the killing unsolved, the security guards returned to their homes, scattered across the country. Arthur Paiva lived in Muskegon.

In the son's drug case, the government said that advisory sentencing guidelines of a minimum ranging from 37 to 46 months in prison did not reflect the "sophistication" of his scheme or involvement in distributing common drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

"In total, the defendant placed 29 orders from Silk Road 2.0, buying more than $11,000 worth of drugs, which he both used and distributed to others," Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Presant wrote.

The West Michigan Enforcement Team, or WEMET, assisted federal investigators.