As part of a 10-page court filing, Brian Farrell has pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of various narcotics through the copycat website, Silk Road 2.0.

Farrell, who has also admitted to being the Silk Road 2.0 administrator known as DoctorClu, handed over his plea to a Federal Judge in Washington last week. District Judge Richard Jones, accepted the guilty plea and has adjudged Farrell as guilty.

Farrell could face up to eight years in prison when he is sentenced on 3rd June but the judge is within their rights to increase this sentence up to a maximum of 40 years.

Silk Road 2.0 operated in much the same way as the original Silk Road website which was created and run by Ross “Dread Pirate Roberts” Ulbricht on the hidden website service, Tor.

Drug dealers and buyers would access the site and anonymously trade crypto-currency such as bitcoin, for drugs.

According to a report by Ars Technica, Silk Road 2.0 made approximately $8 million every month.

In the court filing not only did Farrell plead guilty to one count of distribution of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, he also admitted to serving as “the informal spokesperson for “Defcon” the head of SR2 [Silk Road 2.0].”

Prosecutors in the United States believe that Defcon is one, Blake Benthall, who is likely working on a plea agreement similar to Farrell’s.

Back in February, Farrell was denied a motion to compel federal investigators to disclose how they found him. The US District Judge, Richard Jones, suggested that Farrell’s IP address was not private and that this is what ultimately led investigators to him.

[Via – Ars Technica][Image – CC BY/2.0 Kiran Foster]