Federal Agents Arrest Bitcoin Gun Buyer in Sting Operation
A man in Boston has been charged and arrested after attempting to buy a $2,500 firearm from a dark net website using bitcoin.
Apr 3, 2015 at 3:10 p.m. UTC:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindesk/ST7DX6WN4BE3DONL3SRZEZVKME.jpg)
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A man from Hyannis, Massachusetts has been charged and arrested after attempting to buy a $2,500 firearm from a darknet website using bitcoin.
According to US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office, Justin Moreira was arrested after he picked up a package he believed contained a .380 caliber pistol and a silencer, sent by an undercover federal agent, from a local post office.
"Federal agents monitoring the Post office box immediately arrested Moreira after he retrieved the package this morning," the 2nd April press release noted.
Moreira was charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
It is believed that Moreira engaged the federal agent in a series of online messages during which he looked into purchases of various firearms.
Moreira, a felon convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute in 2013, now faces a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
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