Kilpedder Dark Web Maestro Gets Release Date

Gary Davis

t’s a long way from Kilpedder’s Johnsown Court to becoming an administrator on the world-famous black market website Silk Road.

For Gary Davis, that journey came to an abrupt halt in January 2014, when the 35-year-old was arrested in Ireland, then extradited to the US where he would plead guilty to narcotics conspiracy in October 2018.

And now, the man is due to walk free next week from federal correction institute Hazelton in West Virginia, having served six and a half years.

Going under the online alias of Libertas, Davis had been a forum moderator for Silk Road from May 2013 to June 2013, going on to serve as an administrator until October 2013. On a salary of $6,000 a month, Davis’ duties included investigating disputes between vendors and buyers, providing customer support, and enforcing the rules set forth by Silk Road’s founder, Ross Ulbricht.

Ross Ulbricht

Convicted in 2015, Ulbricht was sentenced to double life imprisonment plus 40 years after being convicted of money laundering, computer hacking and conspiracy to traffic narcotics.

The no.1 site on the Dark Web for narcotics and other illegal items between January 2011 and October 2013, Silk Road boasted over 1.5m transactions and a market worth $213m. When the site was shut down, Davis went on to serve as an administrator for Silk Road 2.0 in November and December 2013. 

Of this week’s sentencing, Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said, “Davis’ arrest, extradition from Ireland, conviction, and prison sentence should send an unmistakable message: the dark web does not cast shadows long enough to protect criminals from the long arm of the law.”

Following his 78-month prison sentence, Davis will have to endure three years of supervised release, and pay the court $25,000.