"The Perfect Crime": What if Mark K is a (small-time) Criminal and a Huge Patsy?

[Bit_Happy]

This is speculation, but at least part of it is original.

The Gox Mystery, Episode 89: A New Twist

~4 or 5 years ago Mark K is in France and in trouble. He gets an unexpected visit one day from two gentlemen in expensive black suits. One of the men says "we are working with local authorities, and the case against you is strong. You can stay here and face jail time, or come with us to Japan where we have a nice, comfortable job for you."

Mark says "Let me grab my cat, I'm ready to go."

In 2011, Mark is doing his best to handle the situation, but somehow his company almost always ends up being a big problem for the Bitcoin community.
In 2013, Mark is still doing his best to handle the stress and pressure from many angles, but somehow his company always ends up being a HUGE problem for the Bitcoin community.
In 2014, He watches as everything melts down into a ~1/2 a Billion Dollar mess

Possible "facts" that we do not know for certain:
1) It is possible (but unlikely) that Mark really didn't have any idea how much BTC was missing.
2) He might have been promised a safe haven in a "witness protection" type program.
3) The "real criminal" might be Mark's associate Gay-D-whateverhisnameis and whomever he might be working for.
4) MtGox had a duel mission to damage BTC in the eyes of the public (successfully completed), and to steal a HUGE amount of BTC (still in progress)

Who is more likely to actually get away with stealing over $400,000,000 worth of BTC?
A) A "small-time" crook like Mark?
B) The digital Men In Black?

[Beliathon]

Apply Occam's razor and try again, OP.

[Bit_Happy]

Apply Occam's razor and try again, OP.

Perhaps Occam's razor was invented for people who think the news on TV is 100% real. 

[QuestionAuthority]

Yes, of course, it's all so clear now. It always has been the Bilderberg's illuminati controlling it all. I'm so happy that Mark Karpeles isn't just a stupid fat fuck that lost a shitload of Bitcoins.

[r3wt]

Yes, of course, its all so clear now. It always has been the Bilderberg's illuminati controlling it all. I'm so happy that Mark Karpeles isn't just a stupid fat fuck that lost a shitload of Bitcoins.

hell of a punchline.

[TheMage]

It's a stretch, but still not to far off from the other theories that have been posted out there.

[Beliathon]

Yes, of course, it's all so clear now. It always has been the Bilderberg's illuminati controlling it all. I'm so happy that Mark Karpeles isn't just a stupid fat fuck that lost a shitload of Bitcoins.

ROFL! I love you.

[cryptoanarchist]

You're catching a lot of flak, OP. Sounds like you're right over the target.

[franky1]

OP was kind of half right about why he fled france years ago (yes it was fraud related, but no one requested he go to japan.. he just ran)

also karpeles extorted funds out of a guy and their was a commercial lein on his assets july 2013. karpeles meant to have been designing a website gor a business, accepted stage one and stage 2 funding from the guy.. but never produced any final designs for the website, or coding that was beyond the quality of a 12yo.

if you dont now this.. dig deeper.

[redwraith]

I'm not saying I endorse this speculation, but I hate that Occam's Razor claim which is used against many conspiracy theories, because it allows a free pass for the bad guys to get away with all their shit.

As if two or more people never got together and colluded a plan together for some future gain, whether for power, money or fame.

Sometimes the simple theory is wrong.

[cryptoanarchist]

I'm not saying I endorse this speculation, but I hate that Occam's Razor claim which is used against many conspiracy theories, because it allows a free pass for the bad guys to get away with all their shit.

As if two or more people never got together and colluded a plan together for some future gain, whether for power, money or fame.

Sometimes the simple theory is wrong.

Not to mention the simple theory IS that the government took them. Its far harder to believe that Mark lost or stole half a billion dollars of BTC himself.

[Bit_Happy]

I'm not saying I endorse this speculation, but I hate that Occam's Razor claim which is used against many conspiracy theories, because it allows a free pass for the bad guys to get away with all their shit.

As if two or more people never got together and colluded a plan together for some future gain, whether for power, money or fame.

Sometimes the simple theory is wrong.

Not to mention the simple theory IS that the government took them. Its far harder to believe that Mark lost or stole half a billion dollars of BTC himself.

I vote for huge patsy.

I believe that someone working at MTGox probably bugged, key logged, etc until they found the cold storage for the bitcoins along with any encryption passwords. They then copied the cold storage and changed the passwords. It would appear the coins were still there until Mark tried to recover them.

Now the thieves are trying to slowly mix them into obscurity while Mark watches his wallet dwindle down to nothing.

I just find it hard to believe that this current scenario would be a planned exit strategy.

We have no way to know for certain.
If I was choosing between
a) Mark is actually expecting to get away with this, avoid jail and stay alive.
b) Powerful forces are working in the shadows.

I would probably vote 'b', in this case.

[Bonio]

........Oh sorry I misread the title I thought it said "huge pastie"

I thought it was a reference to his weight problem and love of high cholesterol beverages.

[r3wt]

I vote for huge patsy.

I believe that someone working at MTGox probably bugged, key logged, etc until they found the cold storage for the bitcoins along with any encryption passwords. They then copied the cold storage and changed the passwords. It would appear the coins were still there until Mark tried to recover them.

Now the thieves are trying to slowly mix them into obscurity while Mark watches his wallet dwindle down to nothing.

I just find it hard to believe that this current scenario would be a planned exit strategy.

I disagree. This is the perfect exit strategy for Mark, however its a catch 22, and here's why:

If this was Mark's doing, he would want you to think it was a hacker and he's the helpless victim.

Conversely, if this is what an attacker was doing, he would want you to think it was Mark weaseling his way out.

[Bit_Happy]

I vote for huge patsy.

I believe that someone working at MTGox probably bugged, key logged, etc until they found the cold storage for the bitcoins along with any encryption passwords. They then copied the cold storage and changed the passwords. It would appear the coins were still there until Mark tried to recover them.

Now the thieves are trying to slowly mix them into obscurity while Mark watches his wallet dwindle down to nothing.

I just find it hard to believe that this current scenario would be a planned exit strategy.

I disagree. This is the perfect exit strategy for Mark, however its a catch 22, and here's why:

If this was Mark's doing, he would want you to think it was a hacker and he's the helpless victim.

Conversely, if this is what an attacker was doing, he would want you to think it was Mark weaseling his way out.

The perfect exit strategy for Mark?
How so, when 100's of people will want him harmed or dead?
It's even more perfect for the digital "Men In Black."

[btcusury]

We have no way to know for certain.
If I was choosing between
a) Mark is actually expecting to get away with this, avoid jail and stay alive.
b) Powerful forces are working in the shadows.

I would probably vote 'b', in this case.

You still can't discard...

c) Mark & co. really are as incompetent as they appear, and their poor coding and accounting allowed coins to be withdrawn over time without them realizing.

...however, by now I think b) is the most likely.

[keithers]

Yes, of course, it's all so clear now. It always has been the Bilderberg's illuminati controlling it all. I'm so happy that Mark Karpeles isn't just a stupid fat fuck that lost a shitload of Bitcoins.

The bilderberger Illuminati representative for the bitcointalk forums is that guy bitcoinsteve....lol