# Blake Benthall

Also known as: Defcon

Arrested, Charged

Public record reviewed to August 20, 2026

Index entry last updated August 21, 2026

_Alleged_ operator of Silk Road 2.0.

Every charge in this entry is an allegation. No conviction is recorded.

Everything on this page comes from cited public sources.

This entry records 2 actions across 1 takedown, each traced to a cited source. Every linked takedown sits in the verified core of this index. Where the record is silent, this page says so rather than filling the gap.

Legal summary

**Associated takedowns:** [Operation Onymous](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/operation-onymous)

**Recorded role:** operator of Silk Road 2.0

**Group segment:** Core operator

**Charging authority:** United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York

**Charging jurisdiction:** United States

**Case number:** Not published

**Latest recorded action:** Charged, November 2014

**Nationality:** United States

**Country of residence:** United States

- [Associated takedowns](https://takedownindex.org/people/blake-benthall)
- [Legal history](https://takedownindex.org/people/blake-benthall/legal-history)
- [Charges](https://takedownindex.org/people/blake-benthall/charges)
- [Sources](https://takedownindex.org/people/blake-benthall/sources)

## Sources

Every claim on this person's pages traces to one of the entries below.

Official announcements come first, then the reporting that supports individual details.

1 source cited across 2 recorded actions

1. [1]
[Operator Of Silk Road 2.0 Website Charged In Manhattan Federal Court](https://takedownindex.org/sources/united-states-attorney-s-office-southern-district-of-new-york-operator-of-silk-r)

United States Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, November 6, 2014 Prosecutor release Source grade P1

Silk Road 2.0 seizure, Benthall arrest and charges, seizure of additional dark markets

No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

Coverage note. Nothing on this page rests on an uncited claim. Where a source is silent on an outcome, this entry leaves the outcome unstated rather than inferring one. Every linked takedown sits in the verified core of this index.