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Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

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He Was an Online Drug Lord. Now He's a Crypto Entrepreneur.

John Pelissero, director, government ethics, quoted by The New York Times.

Blake Benthall was arrested, convicted, and served his sentence for running Silk Road 2.0, the infamous illegal drug bazaar. Now he hustles for investor money for his two-year-old start-up, Fathom(x), providing businesses and government agencies with software to track and ensure legal compliance with digital currency transactions.

"While felons aren’t barred from working for the federal government, John Pelissero, a government ethics expert at Santa Clara University, said he was surprised that Mr. Benthall wasn’t placed on a “do-not-hire list” as part of his sentencing.

John Pelissero, director, government ethics, quoted by The New York Times.

 

Ethics
media, government