DeepDotWeb Admin Admits to Money Laundering

In 2019, the FBI, Europol, and law enforcement agencies from Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, and Brazil conducted a joint operation that resulted in the shutdown of DeepDotWeb, a news portal covering darknet topics and cataloging resources from the “dark side of the internet.” This darknet guide was updated daily, reporting on the closure of various sites, their new addresses, exit scams, and other issues related to underground marketplaces.

At the time, it was reported that DeepDotWeb operators received commissions for redirecting traffic to illegal darknet sites. The DeepDotWeb directory freely published links to all kinds of resources, including darknet marketplaces where weapons, drugs, malware, stolen data, pornography, and more were bought and sold.

It has now been revealed that, along with the site’s closure, two administrators were arrested: 37-year-old Tal Prihar, an Israeli citizen living in Brazil, and 34-year-old Michael Phan from Israel. Authorities stated that from October 2013 to May 2019, they received “kickbacks” from marketplace operators totaling 8,155 bitcoins (about $8.4 million at the time).

In an attempt to hide these illegal payments, Prihar transferred the money to other bitcoin wallets and to bank accounts of shell companies under his control.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice:

“Tal Prihar acted as a broker for illegal darknet marketplaces, helping these platforms find customers for the sale of fentanyl, firearms, and other dangerous contraband, and profited from the subsequent illegal business.”

Prihar has now pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and has agreed to forfeit all proceeds earned as “commissions” from deals on underground marketplaces connected to DeepDotWeb. Sentencing is scheduled for August 2, 2021, and he faces up to 20 years in prison.