NewsBTC
No Result
View All Result
  • Cryptocurrency News
    • Bitcoin News (BTC)
    • Ethereum News (ETH)
    • Ripple News (XRP)
    • Shiba Inu News (SHIB)
    • Cardano News (ADA)
    • Dogecoin News (DOGE)
    • Solana News (SOL)
    • Litecoin News (LTC)
    • Avalanche News (AVAX)
    • Polygon News (MATIC)
  • Crypto Prices
    • Binance Coin (BNB) Price
    • Bitcoin (BTC) Price
    • Cardano (ADA) Price
    • Chainlink (LINK) Price
    • Dogecoin (DOGE) Price
    • Ethereum (ETH) Price
    • Litecoin (LTC) Price
    • Polkadot (DOT) Price
  • Crypto Resources & Directory
  • All Crypto
  • Play GamesTry
  • CasinosTry
Breaking News: Coinbase Confirms DOJ Investigation Following Major Security Incident
  • Cryptocurrency News
    • Bitcoin News (BTC)
    • Ethereum News (ETH)
    • Ripple News (XRP)
    • Shiba Inu News (SHIB)
    • Cardano News (ADA)
    • Dogecoin News (DOGE)
    • Solana News (SOL)
    • Litecoin News (LTC)
    • Avalanche News (AVAX)
    • Polygon News (MATIC)
  • Crypto Prices
    • Binance Coin (BNB) Price
    • Bitcoin (BTC) Price
    • Cardano (ADA) Price
    • Chainlink (LINK) Price
    • Dogecoin (DOGE) Price
    • Ethereum (ETH) Price
    • Litecoin (LTC) Price
    • Polkadot (DOT) Price
  • Crypto Resources & Directory
  • All Crypto
  • Play GamesTry
  • CasinosTry
Bitcoin News
No Result
View All Result
Breaking News: Coinbase Confirms DOJ Investigation Following Major Security Incident

Hacker Charged by Federal Authorities Fails at Using Altcoins to Secure His Bail

newsbtc
newsbtc
6 years ago
3 mins read

Reason to trust

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality
Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed
The highest standards in reporting and publishing
How Our News is Made

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality

Ad discliamer

Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio.

Martin Marsich was arrested earlier this year for allegedly hacking video game giant Electronic Arts Inc.’s (EA) systems and stealing digital funds.

In attempts to pay his bail, Marsich was planned on trading in $750,000 in altcoins. However, he was eventually shut-out after officials claimed it was a liability issue.

Paying Bail with Cryptocurrency?

The failed use of his altcoins shows how hard it can be to use (some) digital currencies in the real-world. 

In this case — which is making its way through Federal court in San Francisco — there were concerns that selling a large stash of lightly traded coins could have caused severe fluctuations in their prices.

As for the charges, Marsich, 25, who was last known to reside in Italy, has been accused by the U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of infiltrating EA’s systems related to its FIFA soccer gaming franchise.

Once inside, Marsich allegedly stole $324,000 worth of digital goods, according to court documents, as outlined by Market Watch. The hack began September 24, 2017, and EA determined that its systems had been compromised March 25. Marsich faces up to five years in Federal prison and a $250,000 fine for his alleged activities.

At first, Federal authorities were willing to try to make the cryptocurrency/bail deal work, as they and defense lawyers spent some time figuring out the details of the exchange in court. One lawyer suggested it wasn’t the first time such an issue had come come up.

“My sense is that it’s happened before, but it’s not the most common thing, so it might take a couple of days to get set up,” assistant U.S. attorney Ben Kingsley said at an August 9 court hearing, this according to an audio recording of the proceedings obtained by MarketWatch. “By then we should have the [cryptocurrency] wallet set up and we can do the transaction with the agents present.”

Federal Authorities Shift Gears

After trying to set up the bail — including taking steps to create a cryptocurrency wallet to facilitate the transfer — the government reversed course the following week and said it was not, in fact, able to take the digital coins as collateral.

“Unfortunately, the FBI could not take possession of the cryptocurrency even though part of it would be used for restitution to Electronic Arts, due to liability issues,” assistant U.S. attorney Susan Knight said at the August 13 hearing. “I had extended conversations with their district counsel and they refused to accept it, to have it as part of a bond and part of forfeiture.”

Instead, Knight suggested that Marsich sell $750,000 worth of his cryptocurrency to pay bail — but to sell such a large chunk of the digital currency Marsich holds could tank tits value because it is lightly traded. And, if that were to happen, Marsich would be unable to pay the restitution that he owes EA. 

Ultimately, the prosecutors and the defense agreed that Marsich would be permitted sell $200,000 worth of his cryptocurrency via a broker to secure his bail. From court documents, it’s not clear whether the transfer has occurred yet.

Featured image from Shutterstock.
Tweet123Share196ShareSend
newsbtc
newsbtc

newsbtc

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Disclaimer: The information found on NewsBTC is for educational purposes only. It does not represent the opinions of NewsBTC on whether to buy, sell or hold any investments and naturally investing carries risks. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use information provided on this website entirely at your own risk.

Related News

BitMine

BitMine Stock Soars 700% After $250 Million Raise For Ethereum Treasury

Tom Lee, the market strategist known for his insightful predictions on Bitcoin (BTC) and broader crypto prices, has taken on...

Ronaldo Marquez 16 hours ago

Bitcoin Market Enters Caution Zone Amid Rising Sell-Side Pressure, Analyst Says

Although Bitcoin (BTC) has recorded slight gains over the past month – up 3.6% in the last 30 days –...

Ash Tiwari 1 day ago
Big Money Buys Ethereum as Retail FOMOs Into Bitcoin, What Happens Next?

Big Money Buys Ethereum as Retail FOMOs Into Bitcoin, What Happens Next?

Bitcoin and Ethereum both posted modest gains in the past week, with BTC rising 6.2% and ETH up by 9.6%....

Samuel Edyme 1 day ago
Load More

Reason to trust

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality
Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed
The highest standards in reporting and publishing
How Our News is Made

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality

Ad discliamer

Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio.

Related News

TRON Defies Market Dip as USDT Activity and Drawdown Metric Signal Growth

TRON Defies Market Dip as USDT Activity and Drawdown Metric Signal Growth

Samuel Edyme 2 hours ago
Bitcoin Whales Just Realized $2.6B In Profit, Is the Market About to Crack or Soar?

Bitcoin Whales Just Realized $2.6B In Profit, Is the Market About to Crack or Soar?

Samuel Edyme 5 hours ago
bitcoin

Bitcoin Network Volume Echoes Mid-2021 ‘Stable Equilibrium’ – Is A Big Move Brewing?

Ash Tiwari 12 hours ago

Premium Sponsors

Press Releases

  • Ethereum Enthusiasts Easily Earn a Stable Daily Income of...

    8 hours ago
  • Hledáte nejlepší kryptoměny k nákupu v roce 2025

    Hledáte nejlepší kryptoměny k nákupu v roce 2025? Tady...

    11 hours ago
  • Cauți cele mai bune criptomonede de cumpărat în 2025?...

    11 hours ago
  • Tražite najbolje kriptovalute za kupnju u 2025. 4 top izbora za vaš portfelj

    Tražite najbolje kriptovalute za kupnju u 2025.? 4 top...

    12 hours ago
  • 今が狙い目の割安アルトコイン特集|注目すべき銘柄をチェック!

    ...

    16 hours ago

Newsletter

Be the first to get the latest important crypto news & events to your inbox.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Us

NewsBTC is a cryptocurrency news service that covers bitcoin news today, technical analysis & forecasts for bitcoin price and other altcoins. Here at NewsBTC, we are dedicated to enlightening everyone about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

We cover BTC news related to bitcoin exchanges, bitcoin mining and price forecasts for various cryptocurrencies.

Disclaimer: The information found on NewsBTC is for educational purposes only. It does not represent the opinions of NewsBTC on whether to buy, sell or hold any investments and naturally investing carries risks. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use information provided on this website entirely at your own risk.

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Center

Social

© 2025 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

  • Cryptocurrency News
    • Bitcoin News (BTC)
    • Ethereum News (ETH)
    • Ripple News (XRP)
    • Shiba Inu News (SHIB)
    • Cardano News (ADA)
    • Dogecoin News (DOGE)
    • Solana News (SOL)
    • Litecoin News (LTC)
    • Avalanche News (AVAX)
    • Polygon News (MATIC)
  • Crypto Prices
    • Binance Coin (BNB) Price
    • Bitcoin (BTC) Price
    • Cardano (ADA) Price
    • Chainlink (LINK) Price
    • Dogecoin (DOGE) Price
    • Ethereum (ETH) Price
    • Litecoin (LTC) Price
    • Polkadot (DOT) Price
  • Crypto Resources & Directory
  • All Crypto
  • Play Games
  • Casinos
Advertise

© 2025 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Center or Cookie Policy.