Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 1 of 12 1 BRIAN STRETCH (CABN 132612) Acting United States Attorney 2 DAVID R. CALLAWAY (CABN 121782) 3 Chief, Criminal Division 4 KATHRYN HAUN (DCBN 484131) WILLIAM FRENTZEN (LABN 24421) 5 Assistant United States Attorneys 450 Golden Gate Avenue, Box 36055 San Francisco, California 94102-3495 Telephone: (415) 436-7200 FAX: (415) 436-7234 Kathryn.haun@usdoj.gov William.frentzen@usdoj.gov 6 7 8 9 RAYMOND N. HULSER (MABN 551350) 10 Chief, Public Integrity Section 11 RICHARD B. EVANS (DCBN 441494) Trial Attorney 12 1400 New York Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20005 13 Telephone: (202) 353-7760 Richard.B.Evans@usdoj.gov 14 15 Attorneys for United States of America 16 17 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT 18 NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 19 SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION 20 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 21 v. 22 23 SHAUN W. BRIDGES (A/K/A “NUMBER 13”), 24 Defendant. 25 ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) NO. CR 15-CR 319-001 RS UNITED STATES’ SENTENCING MEMORANDUM Date: December 7, 2015 Time: 3:00 p.m. 26 27 “Worthy of Trust and Confidence” – The motto of the U.S. Secret Service 28 1 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 2 of 12 The defendant, former Secret Service Special Agent Shaun W. Bridges, stands to be sentenced on 1 2 his convictions following guilty pleas for (1) money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1957; and (2) 3 obstruction of justice, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(c)(2). The government concurs with the Probation Department’s description of the offense conduct and 4 5 its calculation of the applicable sentencing Guidelines, which includes the application of a 2-level 6 enhancement for sophisticated means under U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(10)(C). The appropriate Guidelines 7 range is 57 to 71 months, and neither a downward variance nor a low-end sentence is warranted in this 8 case. By his egregious conduct and flagrant abuse of his authority as a sworn law enforcement officer, 9 Shaun Bridges has shown that he is not someone who deserves a sentence at or below the low end of the 10 Guidelines range. Rather, Shaun Bridges is someone who abused the public trust and tarnished the 11 reputation of law enforcement in the process. For those reasons and the others discussed below, the United 12 States seeks a high-end Guidelines sentence of 71 months’ imprisonment – the same sentence 13 recommended by the Probation Department. See PSR, Sentencing Recommendation at p. 2. Such a 14 sentence is sufficient but not greater than necessary to achieve the sentencing goals the Court is statutorily 15 directed to take into account. 1 16 17 I. THE APPLICABLE GUIDELINES RANGE The United States agrees with Probation’s Presentence Report (PSR) that the adjusted offense level 18 is 28. See PSR ¶ 49. That offense level includes various sentencing enhancements, including an 19 enhancement for obstruction of justice with respect to the investigation of this offense. PSR ¶ 68. The 20 defendant has no prior criminal convictions, see PSR ¶¶ 55-6, putting him in a Criminal History Category 21 I. PSR ¶ 58. Accordingly, a total offense level 25 and a Criminal History Category I results in a range of 22 57 to 71 months under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. PSR ¶ 91. 23 24 25 26 1 In determining the appropriate sentence, this Court must conduct a two-step inquiry: (1) first correctly calculate the applicable Guidelines range as the starting point, and then (2) assess the factors 27 set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) to fashion an individualized sentence that is sufficient, but not greater 28 than necessary, to achieve the aims of the sentencing statute. United States v. Carty, 520 F.3d 984, 991 (9th Cir. 2008). 2 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 3 of 12 1 A. The PSR Accurately Applies A 2-level Enhancement For Sophisticated Means Under 2B1.1(b)(10)(C) 2 3 Although the defendant does not object to the base offense level, he has lodged an objection, 4 without legal support, to the application of the sophisticated means enhancement under U.S.S.G. § 5 2B1.1(b)(10)(C). On the contrary, the PSR accurately concludes that the offense in this case – money 6 laundering – involved sophisticated means. See PSR ¶ 44. Section 2B1.1(b)(10)(C) provides for a 27 level enhancement where “the offense otherwise involved sophisticated means[.]” The Application 8 Notes define sophisticated means as “especially complex or especially intricate offense conduct 9 pertaining to the execution or concealment of an offense . . . Conduct such as hiding assets or 10 11 transactions, or both, through the use of fictitious entities, corporate shells, or offshore financial 12 accounts also ordinarily indicates sophisticated means.” Application Notes to 2B1.1(b)(10)(C); see also 13 United States v. Young, 537 F. App'x 777, 781 (9th Cir. 2013) (applying the enhancement where 14 defendant “used multiple accounts and corporations as part of his fraudulent scheme”); United States v. 15 16 Horob, 735 F.3d 866, 872 (9th Cir. 2013) (applying enhancement where defendant “manipulated several people to lie for him, used several different bank accounts (including accounts of other people) to move 17 18 19 funds around, and fabricated numerous documents”). However, “[c]onduct need not involve highly complex schemes or exhibit exceptional brilliance to justify a sophisticated means enhancement” and 20 “the enhancement properly applies to conduct less sophisticated than the list articulated in the 21 application note.” United States v. Jennings, 711 F.3d 1144, 1145, 1147 (9th Cir. 2013). 22 23 In this case, Bridges engaged in precisely the type of sophisticated means that the Application 24 Notes to 2B1.1(b)(10)(C) contemplated. Bridges stole bitcoins from various Silk Road accounts using 25 the log-in credentials from one of the website’s customer support representatives – a target whom they 26 had arrested – and transferred the bitcoins to Mt. Gox, an offshore bitcoin exchange company in Japan. 27 28 PSR ¶ 22. Over several months, Bridges then made nine separate wire transfers – all under $100,000 each – totaling $822,851.19 from the offshore exchange to a Fidelity account in the name of Quantum 3 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 4 of 12 1 International Investments, LLC (“Quantum”), a shell corporation Bridges created in the United States, 2 and for which he went to the trouble of filing LLC paperwork with the State of Maryland. PSR ¶¶23, 3 4 25. The sole and exclusive purpose of this LLC was to receive and hide these criminal proceeds. Bridges did not engage in garden-variety fraud; he employed sophisticated means through offshore 5 6 7 accounts and shell corporations. Further, as the PSR notes, bitcoin is a sophisticated technology/currency. PSR ¶ 44. Accordingly, this Court should apply the 2-level enhancement for 8 sophisticated means. 9 B. 10 11 12 Alternatively, The Court Could Apply A 2-level Enhancement Under 2B1.1(b)(10)(B) Because A Substantial Part Of The Fraud Was Committed Outside The United States Even if the sophisticated means enhancement did not apply, a 2-level enhancement still would be appropriate because “a substantial part of a fraudulent scheme was committed from 13 14 outside the United States[.]” U.S.S.G. § 2B1.1(b)(10)(B). Substantial means “an important material 15 matter, thing, or part[.]” United States v. Ogunbanke, No. 13-50600, 2015 WL 4523215, at *1 (9th Cir. 16 July 27, 2015); see also United States v. Bagby, 550 F. App'x 364, 365 (9th Cir. 2013) (applying 17 2B1.1(b)(10)(B) where, inter alia, there was evidence of a wire transfer between the U.S. and the U.K. 18 as well as other cross-border activity); United States v. Fauncher, 464 F. App'x 674, 675-76 (9th Cir. 19 2012) (applying 2B1.1(b)(10)(B) where defendant knew funds from a multi-level phishing scheme came 20 from overseas). To apply, the fraudulent scheme need not originate from outside the United States. See 21 22 23 United States v. Singh, 291 F.3d 756, 761 (11th Cir. 2002). In this case, a substantial part of the fraudulent scheme was committed in Japan. Bridges stole 24 bitcoins from Silk Road accounts and transferred them to an offshore bitcoin exchange in Japan where 25 26 they remained for several months before he converted the bitcoins to cash and transferred the funds from 27 Mt. Gox to a Fidelity account in the United States. PSR ¶¶ 22-23, 25. Storing the bitcoins in Japan was 28 a substantial part of the fraudulent scheme because it allowed Bridges to conceal the bitcoins before 4 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 5 of 12 1 converting them to cash, which he then transferred to the United States. To be sure, the fraudulent 2 scheme originated in the United States when Bridges stole the bitcoins; however, a scheme need not 3 4 originate from outside the United States in order for 2B1.1(b)(10)(B) to apply. Id. Moreover, the use of Mt. Gox required law enforcement in this investigation to engage with foreign law enforcement and 5 6 7 ultimately travel to Japan to solve this crime. That expense and barrier to solving the crime warrants extra punishment because there were real world consequences – it is not a simple technical application 8 of the Guideline. Incredibly, just days after using Mt. Gox to accomplish his scheme, Bridges served as 9 the affiant on a seizure warrant for Mt. Gox in which millions of dollars were seized by U.S. authorities. 10 Accordingly, this Court could also apply the 2-level enhancement because a substantial part of the fraud 11 was committed outside of the United States. 12 13 II. LEGAL FRAMEWORK 14 In sentencing the defendant, this Court must consider the factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a) 15 including: the nature and circumstances of the offense, the history and characteristics of the defendant, the 16 kinds of sentences available, the sentencing Guidelines range, the need to avoid unwarranted sentencing 17 disparities, and the need to provide restitution to victims of the offense. Those goals include the need to 18 reflect the seriousness of the offense; to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment for 19 the offense; to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct; to protect the public from further crimes of 20 the defendant; and to provide the defendant with needed educational or vocational training, medical care, 21 or other correctional treatment in the most effective manner. See 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). 22 23 III. APPLICATION OF THE SENTENCING FACTORS COMPELS A HIGH END SENTENCE IN THIS CASE 24 A. The Offense Conduct Is Particularly Egregious As It Erodes Public Confidence In The Criminal Justice System And Tarnishes Law Enforcement 25 The Court is already familiar with the detailed charging document that discusses the defendant’s 26 conduct and it also sat through his lengthy plea colloquy. Suffice it to say that Bridges’ betrayal of the 27 public trust in this case is astonishing, as evidenced by the following conduct: 28 5 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 6 of 12 1  Stealing and converting to his own personal use hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth 2 of bitcoins while operating in his official capacity as an agent on the Baltimore Silk Road 3 Task Force; 4 5 6 7  Transferring the stolen bitcoins overseas to Mt. Gox, a bitcoin exchange operating in Japan;  Converting the bitcoins to cash totaling more than $820,000, which he transferred via nine separate wires to a corporate account he owned at Fidelity; 8  Using his official position to illegally run FINCEN checks to determine whether any 9 Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) had been filed by Fidelity regarding his wire 10 11 12 transfers into his Quantum account all while employed as a federal agent;  Compromising his office’s investigation by burning a website customer support representative, whom they could have used to further infiltrate the Silk Road website; 13  Serving as the affiant on a seizure warrant against Mt. Gox a mere two days after 14 transferring the last of his criminal proceeds out of the bitcoin exchange; and 15  Trying to cover his tracks by placing one of his computers in a “wipe” area used to delete 16 data from computers and lying about all of the foregoing conduct to federal prosecutors 17 and agents. 18 In addition, the government believes that defendant Bridges’ sentence should be severe given his 19 treatment of the cooperator, GC, in this case. Bridges did not simply steal from Silk Road, he stole from 20 Silk Road and the operator of Silk Road -- whom Bridges knew by his online moniker, “Dread Pirate 21 Roberts” -- through the administrator account of CG. Of course, Ulbricht and a Silk Road administrator 22 believed that CG had stolen from them since they were unaware that CG was cooperating and had given 23 Bridges access to his account. Being a wealthy and dangerous operator of a narcotics trafficking site, 24 Ulbricht responded in a predictable way to the perceived thefts by CG – he looked for associates to 25 murder CG. Bridges was aware that Ulbricht wanted to murder CG almost immediately because 26 Bridges assisted Force and other agents in faking CG’s death. Bridges did nothing to prevent Ulbricht’s 27 belief – and the belief of the other agents and the AUSAs – that CG was the actual thief. The AUSAs 28 announced that they would not provide CG with a 5K recommendation due to their belief that he had 6 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 7 of 12 1 stolen from Silk Road while promising to be a cooperator. CG protested, but the agents and AUSAs did 2 not believe that one of their own could have been responsible for the theft and did not believe him. That 3 Ulbricht contracted Force’s UCE legend of Nob to murder CG was fortuitous because Nob could 4 obviously control his part of the situation by not murdering CG but letting Ulbricht believe that CG had 5 been murdered by Nob. But Bridges did not know that would be the result. 6 In addition, law enforcement is aware that Ulbricht did not limit his solicitation to murder CG to 7 Force/Nob. Ulbricht actively contacted other Silk Road users that Ulbricht believed could murder CG. 8 That was an eventuality that Bridges, of course, foresaw. The solution for the agents was to order CG 9 not to leave his house until Ulbricht was apprehended almost a year later. CG was confined to his home 10 in fear for his safety day after day. Had the New York-based investigation not located and arrested 11 Ulbricht when it did, CG could have been left to the equivalent of house arrest up to this very day. 12 This type of abuse of a cooperator is absolutely unforgivable. Bridges allowed his greed and 13 deception to endanger the life of a man who was actively striving to assist the Baltimore Silk Road Task 14 Force with its investigation. When it was obvious to Bridges that his actions were endangering CG’s 15 safety and his ability to receive credit for his cooperation, through the threats to withdraw the 5K 16 recommendation, Bridges did nothing. He did not act to save CG and he did not act to correct the 17 misimpression that CG was responsible for the thefts. Bridges could not even bring himself to face CG 18 again, as he flew home on the morning after the thefts and did not even participate in the second day of 19 the proffer as CG was grilled by the other investigators about his role in the thefts. This type of abuse of 20 a vulnerable cooperator strikes a powerful chord with prosecutors and law enforcement who rely on 21 these types of relationships to solve crimes. This type of abuse cannot be taken lightly by federal law 22 enforcement or the Court. Bridges should be sentenced on the basis of his abuse of CG along with his 23 fraudulent and deceitful conduct. 24 In allowing Bridges to become a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, the United 25 States entrusted him to act in a manner consistent with standards becoming a sworn law enforcement 26 officer, namely to protect and serve the public. As demonstrated by the facts in this case, Bridges failed 27 miserably on both counts. Likewise, he also proved that he was not deserving of the Secret Service’s 28 motto: “Worthy of Trust and Confidence.” 7 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 8 of 12 1 B. Defendant’s Conduct Was Not A Single Lapse in Judgment But A Continued Course of Conduct 2 This Court comes across plenty of defendants who have committed a single -- yet significant -3 error in judgment who might deserve a break when it comes time for sentencing. This is not one of those 4 defendants. Like Force, Bridges’ crimes do not represent a “one-off” where he experienced a momentary 5 lapse of judgment. Instead, Bridges committed crimes over the course of many months (if not years) 6 during which he had time to reflect on what he was doing over and over again, and to come forward and 7 it admit his crimes. Yet instead of ceasing his misconduct after one incident, he continued with impunity 8 until he was caught. His was an extremely calculated effort, designed to avoid detection for as long as 9 possible, ironically using the very skills (e.g., computer skills) that he learned on the job and at the public’s 10 expense. 11 As a member of the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, Bridges was assigned to, among other 12 responsibilities, forensic computer investigations in an effort to locate, identify, and prosecute targets of 13 the task force, including Ross Ulbricht, and other vendors, buyers, and administrators on Silk Road. See 14 Plea Agreement, Dkt. No. 60 at p.4 In his role performing forensic computer analysis, Bridges 15 investigated a customer support representative on Silk Road, “C.G.,” in connection with C.G. assisting 16 in the delivery of approximately one kilogram of cocaine to an undercover identity controlled by Carl 17 Force, another task force member. On January 17, 2013, Bridges participated in a search and arrest of 18 C.G. for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. PSR ¶ 15. 19 On January 25, 2013, Bridges participated in an interview of C.G. During the interview, C.G. 20 described his administrator access to Silk Road as a customer support representative and his ability to 21 reset passwords and pins of account holders on Silk Road. C.G. also shared his administrator access and 22 password with the interviewing agents. Later that day, Bridges accessed Silk Road through a computer 23 utilizing C.G.’s administrator access. Bridges reset passwords and pins of various accounts on Silk 24 Road and moved bitcoin from those accounts into a “wallet” he controlled. In this manner, Bridges 25 fraudulently moved and stole approximately 20,000 bitcoin from Silk Road and Silk Road accounts. On 26 January 26, 2013, Bridges moved the stolen bitcoin into an account at Mt. Gox, an online digital 27 currency exchange based in Japan. Dkt. No. 60 at p.4. 28 8 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 9 of 12 1 On January 26, 2013, Ulbricht learned that C.G.’s access to Silk Road had been used to 2 fraudulently transfer bitcoin from Silk Road into a wallet. Ulbricht canceled CG’s administrator access 3 to Silk Road. Later that day, Ulbricht communicated with Force’s undercover persona, “Nob,” and 4 sought to hire “Nob” to murder C.G. in retaliation for the bitcoin thefts. On January 27, 2013, Bridges, 5 acting as an undercover persona on Silk Road, “Number13,” communicated with Ulbricht in an effort to 6 falsely and fraudulently prevent Ulbricht from learning who had committed the theft from Silk Road. 7 Using the “Number13” persona, Bridges communicated that he had been the victim of the theft, rather 8 than its perpetrator, and that he wanted his bitcoin returned to him. Id. 9 On February 12, 2013, Bridges formed Quantum and registered it with the Maryland Secretary of 10 State. On February 22, 2013, Bridges opened a personal investment account at Fidelity under the 11 Quantum name but controlled by Bridges. Between March 6, 2013, and May 7, 2013, Bridges 12 liquidated the bitcoin in the Mt. Gox account, proceeds of the Silk Road fraud, into U.S. Currency and 13 transferred the money into his Quantum Fidelity account via nine separate wire transfers, each one under 14 $100,000. Subsequently, during June of 2014, Bridges transferred money from the Quantum Fidelity 15 account into a joint bank account in his name and that of another person. Id. 16 Bridges had an opportunity to come clean for his crimes and take responsibility when, in November 17 2014, he was interviewed by federal prosecutors and agents. He was asked about his role in some of this 18 conduct and he lied repeatedly during a lengthy interview. This forced the government to conduct an 19 intricate and time-intensive investigation, taking resources away from other cases in the process. 20 Although Bridges ultimately admitted his conduct, he did not do so for over a year and only after he knew 21 he would be charged. The Court should take into account that the defendant’s offenses were a continued 22 course of conduct that spanned a relatively long period of time, a period in which there was ample 23 opportunity for the defendant to reflect on what he had been doing and realize it was very wrong. 24 C. 25 26 Defendant’s Conduct Jeopardized A Sensitive, Multi-Year, Multi-Agency Investigation Like Force, Bridges was part of the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, which, together with the U.S. 27 Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, had been building a case against the Silk Road operator, 28 i.e., Ross Ulbricht. This task force comprised numerous agencies – IRS, USPIS, DEA, and HSI – and it 9 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 10 of 12 1 had been working on the investigation into the Silk Road for years. Given Bridges’ role as the computer 2 forensics expert on the task force, it was obvious to Bridges that he might be a key witness for the 3 government in any future prosecution in Maryland. In stealing bitcoins from the Silk Road website and 4 compromising a website administrator who was willing to cooperate with the investigation, Bridges not 5 only made that evidence unavailable to the Baltimore prosecution, he tampered with key evidence that 6 would presumably form some of the government’s case at any eventual trial. Rather than working to take 7 down the Silk Road – what he was being paid with taxpayer dollars to do – Bridges worked to line his 8 own pockets with more than $820,000. In so doing he acted with reckless disregard for the potential for 9 his actions to jeopardize the murder-for-hire and drug conspiracy case that the District of Maryland 10 brought against Ulbricht. 11 D. A Lengthy Prison Sentence Is Needed To Promote Both Deterrence And Promote Respect For the Law 12 A long sentence is also important to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct in the future – 13 not only by Bridges – but by any other would-be corrupt official within the government. The Court should 14 send a message that this kind of conduct will be met with a harsh penalty in the form of a lengthy prison 15 sentence. Because a trustworthy workforce is absolutely essential to the mission of the Secret Service and 16 the myriad other federal and state agencies who serve the public, deterring this kind of behavior is of the 17 upmost importance. Other government employees will look to what sentence Bridges gets as an example 18 of what could happen to them if they were to betray the public trust. The message, accordingly, must be 19 that this kind of conduct will result in a lengthy custodial sentence. 20 Finally, Section 3553(a)’s provision for a sentence that “promotes respect for the law” must also 21 be considered. At the time of his criminal activity, the defendant’s legitimate work with the Secret Service 22 involved investigating dark net sites and those using them to commit crimes. In the midst of all of this he 23 stole bitcoins from the targeted website and converted them to cash, which he then deposited to his own 24 investment account. It is critical that people understand and believe that when a law enforcement agent 25 gets caught committing these kinds of crimes, he/she will be dealt with severely by the system of which 26 he/she was once a part. 27 28 10 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 11 of 12 1 E. The Court Should Sentence Bridges To A Lengthy Prison Sentence In Order To Avoid Unnecessary Sentencing Disparities 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The Court should sentence Bridges to a term of incarceration at the top end of the Guidelines range. Such a sentence is consistent with the sentence sought by the government for Carl Force who was sentenced last month in a related case. As the Court is aware, Force was sentenced to a term of incarceration of 78 months, which was the mid-point of his Guidelines range. The United States believes that a term of incarceration of 71 months in this case is the appropriate sentence given Bridges’ egregious conduct on the same task force. F. There Is No Basis For Either a Downward Departure Or A Variance In This Case Finally, as indicated above, there is no basis for the Court to depart downward from the applicable 11 Guideline range – a conclusion echoed by the Probation Office. See PSR ¶ 107. Additionally, there is no 12 valid basis for a downward variance. To the extent Bridges may try to advance an argument that he should 13 14 receive a lower than Guidelines sentence pursuant to U.S.S.G. § 5H1.4, there is no evidence to indicate that alcohol abuse played any role in his decision to commit the crimes to which he pled guilty. Nor is 15 16 17 there any reason to believe that the BOP could not provide him with any treatment that might be warranted during the period of his incarceration. Any such argument to the contrary should be rejected. CONCLUSION 18 19 The government submits that only a high-end Guidelines sentence is reasonable and appropriate 20 in this case given the nature and circumstances of the offense, the need to promote respect for the law, and 21 for purposes of deterrence. In full consideration of these sentencing goals, together with the defendant’s 22 history and characteristics, the United States respectfully requests that the Court impose a sentence of 71 23 months’ imprisonment, as well as a 3-year term of supervised release. 24 DATED: November 30, 2015 Respectfully submitted, 25 BRIAN J. STRETCH Acting United States Attorney 26 ________/s/_________________ KATHRYN HAUN WILLIAM FRENTZEN Assistant United States Attorneys 27 28 11 Case 3:15-cr-00319-RS Document 94 Filed 11/30/15 Page 12 of 12 1 RICHARD B. EVANS Public Integrity Section 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 12