The US Marshals Service will conduct the fifth sale of funds seized from the underground market. A single lot of 2.7 thousand bitcoins is announced, of which only 3 BTC belonged to Ross Ulbricht.

The Internet auction will be held on Monday, 22 August 2016, from 8 am to 2 pm EST. Potential candidates must register by 18 August. Bidders also have to complete a registration form, providing identification document and a receipt confirming a $100,000 deposit. Due to the fact that this auction is considered to be the last one, bitcoin will be sold as a single block. According to the US Marshals Service, only 2.8 bitcoins of the whole sum belonged to the former owner of the dark web trading platform Silk Road Ross Ulbricht. The main part of the lot, 1,294 bitcoins, was previously owned by drug dealer Matthew Gillum. The Marshals Service also reported that 65 bitcoins added to the lot were previously stolen by a US Drug Enforcement Administration ex-officer Charles M. Force. Last year, Force pleaded guilty of stealing bitcoins worth $700 thousand dollars during the investigation of the Silk Road case.

Since June 2014, the US Marshals Service have conducted four auctions. The first two were held In June and December 2014. The total amount sold there was 80,000 BTC. There were another 50,000 bitcoins sold at the third auction held in March 2015. Another part of Ulbricht’s funds was put up for sale at the fourth auction in November 2015, which was assumed to be the last one. Ross Ulbricht was convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering in May 2015 and was given a life sentence.

Lena Gabdullina