Silk Road Drug Trafficker Charged with Laundering Drug Proceeds through Cryptocurrency

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a nine-count indictment today against Matthew Gillum, 40, formerly of Loomis, charging him with engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Gillum was convicted in the Eastern District of California in 2014 with a federal drug trafficking offense. Gillum used the Silk Road website to solicit drug orders and receive payment in Bitcoin. After Gillum completed service of his 108-month prison sentence, he subsequently attempted to launder the drug trafficking proceeds through the legitimate financial system.  

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS Criminal Investigation with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Lee is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Gillum faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of money laundered. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.