Thailand seizes $21 million in assets from dead founder of dark net marketplace AlphaBay

[rkidlad]

1 hour ago, Thai Ron said:

Yeah that's the operative word here, isn't it? "Imagine"

You're just speculating because you've nothing better to do on a Tuesday morning.

You don't have a clue if he had "dirt" on some very high up people. Indeed, one of the first rules of this kind of activity is don't bite your host's hand while you're in his house.

The guy had spent much of his young adult life living in luxury - cars, villas, cash, women etc - and, the minute he was arrested, he knew it was all over

At just 26, he was facing the prospect of life in prison being gang-raped by jailhouse meatheads.

He chose an alternative

Thanks, Thai Ron.

 

Don't speculate because you're in someone else's house. Great! That sort of mentality could never lead to any kind of abuse. Sounds like a self-loathing apologist's utopia. 

 

So he lived this lavish lifestyle but knew that it would all end one day at the drop of a hat and he'd have to kill himself straight away? Wow. What an amazing life he lived knowing that each day could be his last. Makes you wonder why he didn't think about it and maybe move abroad, stop being so ostentatious with the sports cars, etc, and come up with a plan better than "live life like it's your last day". A rather odd philosophy for someone so young and capable.  

 

You've obviously been conditioned to believe whatever authorities tell you. I've been conditioned to connect the dots - regardless of where I am. 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

Yes but my speculation is far more plausible than that suggesting the guy was murdered because he could expose some imaginary Thai "bigshot".

I wasn't suggesting and didn't suggest that..the part about the Thai bigshot.

 

But, the notion that a Canadian guy with money presumably squirreled away around the world would suddenly kill himself in a Thai detention cell -- he hadn't even made it to a regular Thai jail or prison yet -- rather than face extradition to the U.S. would seem more than a bit peculiar.

 

For starters, aren't the police and their detention folks supposed to REMOVE from prisoners anything that they might be able to use to harm themselves?  Isn't that a pretty standard part of the detention process??  Well, apparently not here.

 

And then, anyone who thinks white collar crime incarceration in the U.S. is likely to be worse than any kind of incarceration in Thailand has no clue of the realities of the world. The guy allegedly ran an illegal website, he didn't per se kill anyone, AFAWK. White collar crime incarceration in the federal prisons system in the U.S. isn't so bad, depending on the location one is assigned to. Just ask Bernie Madoff or Martha Stewart.

 

If it were me in his shoes, I'd be begging the Thai police to put me on the first plane back to the U.S. instead of staying in jail in Thailand.

[Thai Ron]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I wasn't suggesting and didn't suggest that..the part about the Thai bigshot.

 

But, the notion that a Canadian guy with money presumably squirreled away around the world would suddenly kill himself in a Thai detention cell -- he hadn't even made it to a regular Thai jail or prison yet -- rather than face extradition to the U.S. would seem more than a bit peculiar.

 

For starters, aren't the police and their detention folks supposed to REMOVE from prisoners anything that they might be able to use to harm themselves?  Isn't that a pretty standard part of the detention process??  Well, apparently not here.

 

And then, anyone who thinks white collar crime incarceration in the U.S. is likely to be worse than any kind of incarceration in Thailand has no clue of the realities of the world. The guy allegedly ran an illegal website, he didn't per se kill anyone, AFAWK. White collar crime incarceration in the federal prisons system in the U.S. isn't so bad, depending on the location one is assigned to. Just ask Bernie Madoff or Martha Stewart.

 

If it were me in his shoes, I'd be begging the Thai police to put me on the first plane back to the U.S. instead of staying in jail in Thailand.

The guy facilitated open trade in illicit drugs, weapons and stolen credit card information.

He wouldn't be going to any soft-ass prison - the US authorities would be looking to set a pretty stark example.

 

[Berkshire]

42 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I wasn't suggesting and didn't suggest that..the part about the Thai bigshot.

 

But, the notion that a Canadian guy with money presumably squirreled away around the world would suddenly kill himself in a Thai detention cell -- he hadn't even made it to a regular Thai jail or prison yet -- rather than face extradition to the U.S. would seem more than a bit peculiar.

 

For starters, aren't the police and their detention folks supposed to REMOVE from prisoners anything that they might be able to use to harm themselves?  Isn't that a pretty standard part of the detention process??  Well, apparently not here.

 

And then, anyone who thinks white collar crime incarceration in the U.S. is likely to be worse than any kind of incarceration in Thailand has no clue of the realities of the world. The guy allegedly ran an illegal website, he didn't per se kill anyone, AFAWK. White collar crime incarceration in the federal prisons system in the U.S. isn't so bad, depending on the location one is assigned to. Just ask Bernie Madoff or Martha Stewart.

 

If it were me in his shoes, I'd be begging the Thai police to put me on the first plane back to the U.S. instead of staying in jail in Thailand.

Firstly, the guy hung himself with a towel...according to news stories.  It could have been his shirt or pants or bedsheet.  So how are the detention folks suppose to "REMOVE from prisoners anything that they might be able to use to harm themselves?"  How could they have even known the guy was suicidal?

 

As for this being a white collar crime, this guy's website sold everything from narcotics, to weapons, to child porn, etc.  Arguably, you can say he's worse than a drug trafficker and/or arms dealer and/or pornographer.  Still white collar?   

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

 

As for this being a white collar crime, this guy's website sold everything from narcotics, to weapons, to child porn, etc.  Arguably, you can say he's worse than a drug trafficker and/or arms dealer and/or pornographer.  Still white collar?  

 

 

I'd still imagine, whatever incarceration he faced in the U.S. wouldn't be nearly as bad as the alternative here in Thailand.

 

I'm not making any moral judgments about what he did and the impacts of his business, one way or the other. Just saying, he ran a website trafficking in illegal stuff. He didn't commit any violent crimes himself, didn't murder anyone himself, etc etc.  I don't think that would equate to the feds treating him as a violent criminal offender.

 

I really don't think, had they had the chance to convict him, that the feds would have dropped him into some max security prison with guys on death row and mass murderers.

 

As for the towel thing, that's kind of odd too... I don't seem to recall seeing a lot of hanging-length capable towels being typically present in Thai detention cells.

[Techno Viking]

41 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

 

 

As for the towel thing, that's kind of odd too... I don't seem to recall seeing a lot of hanging-length capable towels being typically present in Thai detention cells.

You spend much time in Thai detention cells ?

[PlastikbinLina]

There seems to be questions that need to be asked and responded to in this case. For instance; how can such a high profile alleged criminal be left unattended in a prison cell allowing him to hang himself? How did he hang himself if normal precautions such as the of removing belt, tie and loose clothing be taken? Why wasn't the prisoner kept in view by 24/7 CCTV surveillance in prison? Was he isolated from other prisoners? Was he interviewed by US authorities after arrest and guaranteed protection. Prior to arrest was the man under  surveillance in Phuket by Thai US agents?

Perhaps it is me that is naive but the story in the press, especially about the hanging just appears to lack something.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed. 

[Joebuzz]

8 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

Yes but my speculation is far more plausible than that suggesting the guy was murdered because he could expose some imaginary Thai "bigshot".

You are lame to think that any falang in Thailand with tons of money is walking around like he's invisible to Thai authority's.  They knew everything about him and where his money was before he was even arrested.  If heads are gonna roll, it isn't going to be That's when a falang is involved. 

[sawadeeken]

12 hours ago, quadperfect said:

 

More military hardware to come.

 

Or at least the Submarines have now been 'Paid for' with this 'windfall'... LOL

[Cadbury]

Regardless of who he was and how he died the moral of the story is......don't die in Thailand if you can avoid it.

The cockroaches and thieves of the RTP and assorted government vultures will be there as fast as you can say "dead" to empty your wallet and take as much of your possessions as they can carry away. Anything left behind they will confiscate and collect later in their pick-up when no one is around. 

[JAG]

Cops are just jealous, they couldnt get in on the scheme.....

I should imagine if he was running a very profitable international racket out of Thailand, the cops would be very much "in on the scene".

[NCFC]

You see, you can be too rich.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Wonder what exactly is going to happen to "his" houses and fancy cars after they've been seized?  Bet we'll never hear anything more about that.

 

Either way, I'm guessing some Thai authorities won't be too broken up about his death.

Edited July 25, 2017 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[inThailand]

12 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Wonder what exactly is going to happen to "his" houses and fancy cars after they've been seized?  Bet we'll never hear anything more about that.

 

Either way, I'm guessing some Thai authorities won't be too broken up about his death.

Its going to be used to operate his illegal business. You can't let this money maker just die.

[TheLobster]

14 hours ago, mikebell said:

It's amazing how many farangs commit suicide in Thailand.  Even more amazing how many manage it in police 'custody'.

 

14 hours ago, JerryinTH said:

 

'Assisted suicide' ? 

 

14 hours ago, inThailand said:

Only legal for falangs? 

They don't bother covering it up if it is a Thai. Then there are many incidents of 'by beating oneself to death'.

[inThailand]

53 minutes ago, NCFC said:

You see, you can be too rich.

Only the poor say that!

[observer90210]

8 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

The guy facilitated open trade in illicit drugs, weapons and stolen credit card information.

He wouldn't be going to any soft-ass prison - the US authorities would be looking to set a pretty stark example.

 

Very much true, as this would not fall under a plain White Collar Crime under the US Criminal Justice system....his ass in a US jail could be expected to get blown off as much as it would have been in Thailand!

[observer90210]

1 hour ago, Father Fintan Stack said:

Indeed. He would have been paying local authorities a lot of money to remain in Thailand unmolested.

 

That is how it works here.  

 

No surprise if he was killed because those local authorities did not want him going back to the US and naming names. 

And also assuming that some well connected public figures in the USA (or perhaps in Thailand) were amongst his patrons, an informal call from Mr Shadow-in-the-Wings in the USA to his Thai counterpart and the deal (sorry accident!)  was closed!!...something smells rat here...

 

 

[asean]

so how many people here believe he really died in jail? That kind of money can easily buy a faked death like another recent wanted expat who is now living in Malaysia. 25 year olds in witness protection programs also tend to die mysterious deaths. Explain to me how one seizes crypto currency? It needs a pretty strong password. Just sayin'

[inThailand]

This has a making for a good book and movie!

[cyberfarang]

18 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Yeap. I imagine this guy had lots of dirt on some very high up people and he would have sung like a canary to get a good deal in the States. I don't believe this guy hanged himself for a second. 

 

 

Exactly what I think. The guy knew too much so he was conveniently made dead. That`s what happens to people who get involved with the wrong crowds.

[dcnx]

3 hours ago, Thai Ron said:

Yes but my speculation is far more plausible than that suggesting the guy was murdered because he could expose some imaginary Thai "bigshot".

He was murdered for his assets and cash. A handful of Thais just hit the lottery.

 

Just because he was getting extradited to the USA doesn't mean he's going to get raped in prison. 

[SongSomSoda]

Yes , if he had the wallet.dat encrypted

Gesendet von meinem LG-H990 mit Tapatalk

[bill59]

The US government can seize and keep your assets even if it's proved you did nothing wrong! How F'd up is that? Nobody has anything on our government when it comes to corruption!


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[JerryinTH]

7 hours ago, asean said:

so how many people here believe he really died in jail? That kind of money can easily buy a faked death like another recent wanted expat who is now living in Malaysia. 25 year olds in witness protection programs also tend to die mysterious deaths. Explain to me how one seizes crypto currency? It needs a pretty strong password. Just sayin'

 

Who? 

[rkidlad]

Sorry, but anyone who believes there is no foul play here lives in cuckoo land. There's only a certain amount of times a group or institute can do something wrong until your brain starts alerting you that this group or institution cannot be trusted. It's not called being negative - it's called human instinct. We have this instinct as it helps us stay alive and out of danger. We've had it from the beginning of time. It's a survival tool. 

 

Zero chance this guy accumulated this wealth, showing off his nice big house and cars as a 'farang', without anyone asking questions or sniffing around. It would have been a smart move on his behalf to have so-called 'important people' in his pocket. They get paid to turn a bind eye, or more than likely be in on it, and he gets protected from any prosecution. This is how criminal organizations flourish within a corrupt system. 

 

You really think he just killed himself this quickly? He didn't want to wait and see if anyone could help him? He had a s*** load of cash and collateral as a bargaining tool. I'd have given it all up to walk. He didn't think to see how it would play out until he took the most drastic action to commit suicide? Here's a man who played the odds in his criminal work and was rewarded handsomely. You don't think he's going to keep trying his hand while in the land of smiles?

 

Unfortunately for him, the Americans came knocking. And when they ask for a farang to be extradited, the Thais aren't going to say no. No matter how hiso or powerful you think you are here, there is always someone more hiso and powerful. He didn't have the connections to get out of this and he was far too much of a risk to be left to leave the country and spill the beans. 

[impulse]

On 7/25/2017 at 8:14 AM, rkidlad said:

Yeap. I imagine this guy had lots of dirt on some very high up people and he would have sung like a canary to get a good deal in the States. I don't believe this guy hanged himself for a second. 

 

Just out of curiosity, has anyone actually seen the body?

 

He may be sunning himself on a private beach near Bali with Ken Lay and Aubrey McClendon.

 

[anon6596585]

Alexander cazes aka Alphabay founder was active on these forums. 

 

Username: SiamBeast

 

Hung himself July 5th I believe, check the last visit on this forum. 

 

Its been confirmed on Reddit he was active on this forum, pantip, overclock and Roush forums. With some interesting posts from him as well

 

Check out his build log of "blue pearl" (his 2 million baht computer setup he build and that is in the police photos)  

After he was busted and killed himself, one guy posted in the build thread: "this is the biggest plot twist ever"

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by jabsjabs

[Thai Ron]

15 hours ago, Joebuzz said:

You are lame to think that any falang in Thailand with tons of money is walking around like he's invisible to Thai authority's.  They knew everything about him and where his money was before he was even arrested.  If heads are gonna roll, it isn't going to be That's when a falang is involved. 

Wrong

The Thai authorities knew nothing about what he was up to until they were TOLD by the Americans.

The guy had been building this marketplace for years so if the Thai authorities had known about it, wouldn't they have done something about it?

 

Just waiting for some barstool conspiracy theorist-cum-cyber forensic expert to suggest "they" were letting him build it so they could steal it from him later.