US President Donald Trump has fired Preet Bharara, the infamous New York attorney who jailed Ross Ulbricht and confiscated 174,000 Bitcoins.
Bharara, who was directly behind the Silk Road founder’s demise, reportedly refused to step down after Trump conducted a clearout of 46 Obama-era staff.
The unprecedented refusal led to a “showdown,” Zero Hedge writes, with the Southern District of New York (SDNY) attorney subsequently confirming he “did not resign” but “was fired.”
I did not resign. Moments ago I was fired. Being the US Attorney in SDNY will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life.
— Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) March 11, 2017
“Being the US Attorney in SDNY will forever be the greatest honor of my professional life,” he added.
Bharara became “the most dangerous man in Bitcoin” after he prosecuted Ulbricht in 2015, with authorities handing down a life sentence.
“Make no mistake,” he said at the time, “Ulbricht was a drug dealer and criminal profiteer who exploited people’s addictions.”
When Silk Road was shut down in October 2013, a windfall of 174,000 BTC ended up in the hands of the US state, most of which were subsequently auctioned off.
All eyes will now be on Trump’s choices for his replacement. The president has made some poignant personnel choices so far, selecting as budget chief “Bitcoin senator” Mick Mulvaney, an active supporter of the cryptocurrency in Washington.