US drops extradition bid for man who stole $2m Bitcoin
THE US has dropped its bid to extradite a Dublin computer hacker for the theft of $2m in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies after his conviction here, the High Court was told yesterday.
With the withdrawal of the US request, Conor Freeman is no longer facing a maximum possible sentence of 108 years in prison after a sentence of two years and 11 months was imposed on him here.
Siobhán Ni Chúlacháin, for the Attorney General, told High Court judge Mr Justice Paul Burns yesterday that Freeman was already serving a sentence in Ireland that arose from the same offences and had not lodged any appeal.
Freeman (21), of Glenageary Court, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, was jailed by Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in November for just under three years, after pleading guilty to engaging in the possession of the proceeds of crime – namely 142.75 Bitcoin.
Ms Ní Chúlacháin told Mr Justice Burns that she was handing a US diplomatic note into the court confirming the formal withdrawal of Freeman’s extradition warrant of May 20, 2019.
She said that because Freeman had been convicted and sentenced in the interim and that no appeal had been filed, the US no longer sought his surrender.
The surrender of Freeman, who appeared by video-link from Mountjoy Prison, had been sought on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud and four counts of aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft in 2018.
Had he been convicted in the US, Freeman was facing a maximum of 108 years in prison.
Paul Carroll SC, defending Freeman, had previously told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court there was an expectation that, because of his client’s co-operation with the authorities, the extradition request would be withdrawn.
Freeman, who was described in that court as a “loner”, had pleaded guilty to stealing $100,000 in cryptocurrency from Darran Marble on May 15, 2018, stealing cryptocurrencies with an approximate value of $1,921,335, from Seth Sharpiro on May 16, 2018, and stealing cryptocurrencies with an approximate value of $167,622.22 from Micheal Templeman on May 18, 2018.
Freeman entered guilty pleas to three counts of dishonestly operating a computer to make a gain on dates between May 15 and May 18, 2018. He had no previous convictions.
Passing sentence, Judge Martin Nolan said the crime involved “guile and deception” and a custodial sentence was warranted despite the mitigation in order to punish the accused, to deter him and to deter others.
The judge said there was “almost perfect mitigation” in the case, including Freeman’s guilty plea, his co-operation, his youth and the fact he had no previous convictions.
Judge Nolan sentenced Freeman to three years’ imprisonment but reduced the sentence to two years and 11 months’ imprisonment to give him credit for time he has already spent in custody.
Freeman was identified by US Homeland Security as having taken part in the thefts and five of Freeman’s co-accused are before the courts in the US.
In May 2019, Freeman was arrested at his home on foot of a warrant issued by US authorities. Following his arrest, Freeman handed over what remained of his share from the theft to gardaí, which, due to the increase in value of Bitcoin in the intervening period, was then worth more than $2m.