Peter Nash of New Farm is sitting in a remand cell at the Brisbane Watchhouse, awaiting an extradition hearing which could see him being flown under police escort to the US where he’s facing some very serious charges, indeed.
Nash was arrested by the Australian Federal Police in his New Farm apartment on Friday. He appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court the same day and was remanded in custody. His next court hearing is set down for 19th February.
Peter Nash, 40, has been indicted in the US for his alleged involvement with the Silk Road website, which claimed to offer a cloak of encrypted anonymity to buyers and sellers who did not wish to have their identities known, taking a commission for its services.
From reports on US news sites, the FBI now has access to some of the conversations on the site.
Peter Nash has been indicted “for conspiracy to traffic narcotics, conspiracy to commit computer hacking and conspiracy to commit money laundering.”
Nash is listed in the indictment as the website’s primary moderator and was allegedly paid between $US50,000 and $US75,000 a year.
If found guilty, he will face a maximum sentence of life in prison.