Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Chapter 63<br />
CARLA SOPHIA<br />
Carl read the e-mail from the group supervisor on the Baltimore task force.<br />
“Baltimore is to stand down on all SR activity for 1 week pending outcome of FBI NY<br />
takedown(s) next week,” the message said. It was soon followed by more severe instructions. “For<br />
right now, the important thing is that we not do anything that could in any way possible interfere with<br />
the arrest of DPR and the collection of evidence in the course of that arrest and search. Therefore,<br />
please stand down on all investigative activities, including logging onto Silk Road, it’s forums, or any<br />
UC communications.”<br />
This is bad. So very, very bad.<br />
Rumors had already traveled from New York via Washington, DC, to Carl’s small desk in his<br />
mauve-colored cubicle in Baltimore that the FBI and some other agents might have found the Dread<br />
Pirate Roberts. Now this confirmed it. It was the worst news Carl could ever imagine hearing. This<br />
was a problem not just for DPR but also for Carl and his secret online identities who were feeding<br />
information to the man he was supposed to be hunting.<br />
Until now Carl’s plan had been working seamlessly. He would chat by day as Nob, and the<br />
conversations would be saved and logged in to a DEA investigation report. Then he would send those<br />
very thorough and detailed reports to Nick and the other agents on the Marco Polo task force.<br />
A job well done. Good work, Carl!<br />
Yet as dusk turned to dark, Carl would log on to his computer as Kevin, the government agent,<br />
and, for a fee, surreptitiously send Dread messages that were not recorded and put into a report.<br />
When the two lines crossed, and the Dread Pirate Roberts (unaware of what was going on at the<br />
other end of the connection) discussed payments for information, Carl would scold Dread, reminding<br />
him to “Use PGP!” the highly secure messaging platform. In the few instances that DPR slipped up,<br />
Carl would pretend that there had been a technical glitch in his daily report. “AGENT’S NOTE: SA<br />
Force was unable to make several video recordings of the above messages due to problems with the<br />
SR site.”<br />
It had all worked perfectly, until the lies started to pile up atop one another and Carl started to<br />
mix up who he was supposed to be and when he was supposed to be them. Rather than slow down, or
Change language