Sam Bent, Dark Web Drug Distribution, Vermont 2019

Dark Web Drug Dealer Sentenced to Five-Year Prison Term

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that Sam Bent, 33, of Saint Johnsbury, Vermont was sentenced to a five-year period of incarceration for his conviction on three counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances over the Dark Web.

According to court records, from 2017 until April 2018, Sam Bent conspired with his cousin Djeneba Bent, 27, of Concord, Vermont, to distribute cocaine, LSD, MDMA, and other controlled substances over dark web marketplaces that are accessible on the Internet only to persons using encryption techniques.

Sam Bent received payment for his drug sales in bitcoin and attempted to convert that cryptocurrency into cash, leading to his conviction on three counts of money laundering.

The conspiracy was operated out of the East Burke, Vermont, residence shared by Sam Bent and his co-conspirator cousin, Djeneba Bent, until Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service searched the residence in April 2018.

Chief United States District Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered Sam Bent to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on October 1, 2019. Judge Crawford noted the need to deter others from engaging in the illegal online distribution of controlled substances.

Sam Bent's sentence also included a $14,000 forfeiture money judgment. Djeneba Bent, who had a lesser role in the conspiracy, was sentenced to a three-year term of probation.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Vermont State Police. Sam Bent was represented by Stephanie Greenlees, Esq. and Djeneba Bent was represented by Assistant Federal Defender David McColgin, Esq. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Drescher was the prosecutor.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/dark-web-drug-dealer-sentenced-five-year-prison-term