Scandal in the Bitcoin Fog case: US prosecutors presented fake evidence — expert Peter Todd
Bitcoin Core developer and renowned cryptographer Peter Todd has stated that during the trial of Bitcoin Fog operator Roman Sterlingov, the prosecution presented fabricated evidence. According to Todd, a screenshot that prosecutors claimed was Sterlingov's personal correspondence actually turned out to be a fragment from a book with which the defendant has no connection.
The incident came to light during the proceedings. As Todd notes, the prosecution included in the case materials a screenshot that was supposed to demonstrate Sterlingov's alleged criminal intent. However, upon detailed analysis, it was discovered that the text in the screenshot was taken from the e-book "The Message Game" by Ace White. This fragment contains explicit remarks about a "beard," "intelligence above room temperature," and a reference to a scene from the film "The Wolf of Wall Street."
"The defense barely managed to recognize the substitution in time," Todd comments on the situation. "The evidence was among thousands of other materials, and the defendant's team was lucky to spot the fake." During the actual trial, a prosecution witness under direct examination by the prosecutor admitted that she mistakenly took the book fragment for correspondence and stated that she would not have given such testimony if she had known the origin of the text.
Todd gave an extremely harsh assessment of the prosecution's actions: in his opinion, for such actions against the justice system, someone should face severe punishment. However, as he emphasized, no consequences for the prosecution ensued.
Context of the Bitcoin Fog Case
Let me remind you that the Sterlingov case is one of the most high-profile in the crypto industry. In March 2024, a jury in Washington found him guilty of money laundering and operating an unlicensed service. According to the prosecution, from 2011 to 2021, more than 1.2 million BTC worth approximately $400 million passed through the Bitcoin Fog mixer, a significant portion of which was linked to darknet markets.
Sterlingov himself did not admit guilt, claiming that he was only a user of the service, not its operator. The defense challenged the reliability of the methods on which the prosecution was based. A key role in the trial was played by on-chain analysis from the company Chainalysis. The company itself regarded the outcome of the case as confirmation of the admissibility of its methods in court, while independent experts expressed doubts about the sufficiency of the evidence.
The story of the fake evidence has only intensified criticism of the prosecution. For part of the community, this case has become an argument in favor of the fact that even a massive array of digital evidence requires careful verification of each element.
Expert opinion: This incident is an alarming signal for the entire justice system in the field of digital assets. It demonstrates that even in cases involving complex technological evidence, human factors and negligence can lead to serious procedural violations. If such "mistakes" recur, trust in court proceedings in the crypto sphere will be undermined.