Two of the three men charged with helping to turn Silk Road into an online drug empire have been released from custody on bail.
The three men were arrested in a coordinated effort by global law enforcement agencies on or around Dec. 19. All three are accused of acting as moderators, or employees of the online black market bazaar Silk Road.
See also: The Silk Road Online Drug Marketplace by the Numbers
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York confirmed to Mashable that Andrew Michael Jones, charged with using the alias "Inigo," has been released after his family posted a $1 million bond and he agreed to a number of other conditions.
Pending trial, Jones has agreed to home detention with electronic monitoring, strict surveillance of his computer activity and drug testing. He also surrendered all his travel documents, and he is restricted to certain locations in Virginia, where the FBI nabbed him at his home, and New York, where he will undergo trial.
Jones appeared in federal court earlier this week, when both the prosecution and defense agreed on a 90-day discovery period. Jones and his attorney declined to comment on the case at this time. His' next hearing is scheduled for April 17.
Irish authorities released another alleged moderator, Gary Davis, who allegedly used the alias "Libertas," on the very night he was arrested, TechCrunch reported. An anonymous source told the publication that the move clued in FBI agents as to who flew to Ireland to take Davis into custody and interrogate him, and that an extradition hearing for Davis will take place next month.
A U.S. law enforcement official with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Mashable that Davis is free on bail.
The final person arrested in association with Silk Road remains in custody in Australia. A spokesman for the Australian Federal Police (AFP) told Mashable that Peter Phillip Nash, who supposedly held multiple aliases on Silk Road, has been remanded in Brisbane until Feb. 19. Nash is believed to have used the names "Samesamebutdifferent," "Batman 73," Symmetry" and "Anonymousasshit."
Neither Australian nor U.S. law enforcement officials would comment on whether the U.S. will seek extradition to bring Nash to America to face charges. However, since the three men were indicted in a U.S. federal court, it is likely federal prosecutors will do everything possible to ensure they face the charges brought against them.
Silk Road evolved into an online drug empire during its two-and-a-half year run, during which the site facilitated $1.2 billion worth of illicit transactions, according to court documents. On Oct. 1, the FBI shut down Silk Road and arrested its alleged owner, Ross William Ulbricht, who is believed to have run the site under the alias "Dread Pirate Roberts."
Ulbricht has not been as fortunate as his supposed lieutenants. At his most recent hearing on Nov. 21, a federal judge denied him bail, and a federal prosecutor unveiled troubling new details of the case. Most prominently, the prosecutor said Ulbricht ordered and paid for six executions, though there is no evidence that anyone has died as a result of these orders. He was previously thought to have ordered two, one of which was an FBI setup.
About five weeks after the original Silk Road was shut down, a new version of the site, referred to as Silk Road 2.0, launched under a new Dread Pirate Roberts.
The three arrested moderators were also allegedly moderators for Silk Road 2.0. The new site's moderators went by "Libertas" and "Inigo"; both have gone inactive since the Dec. 19 arrests. While no Silk Road 2.0 moderators used any of Nash's supposed multiple aliases, one moderator named "Synergy" (similar to "Symmetry") also went inactive, last posting on the site's forums on Dec. 19.
The arrest of the three moderators sent shock waves through the ranks and community of Silk Road 2.0. The site is still up and running, however, and its administrators insist it has not been compromised by law enforcement.
The full indictment against the three moderators is embedded below.
Indictment of three alleged Silk Road moderators by franberkman

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Image: Flickr, Vince