Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by b0r3datw0rk 771 days ago
how is the blockchain under the purview of the us govt? these were transactions submitted to a blockchain created for the sole purpose of not being controlled by the government

all these code is law folks are constantly exposed as just looking to get rich quick
5 comments
Arrath 771 days ago
> how is the blockchain under the purview of the us govt?

Likely some inter-state commerce clause that gets used to bring many things under the purview of the feds. It may be more appropriate to ask how it was supposed to not be under the rule of law?

> these were transactions submitted to a blockchain created for the sole purpose of not being controlled by the government

Simply creating a blockchain with that intent in mind seems to be no more effective than a sovereign citizen ranting to a LEO that they are 'traveling by conveyance' in their car and thus not subject to traffic laws.

link
lbwtaylor 771 days ago
The fraudsters are American so the US Government certainly has jurisdiction over their actions. Blockchain doesn't really matter to that.
link
Electricniko 771 days ago
The brothers did the act while in the US, so they're still under the jurisdiction of the US legal system. You can agree by contract to have contractual disputes handled under a certain jurisdiction, arbitration, or within the contractual agreement that defines all rights in a dispute, but you can't just will yourself out of criminal legal culpability by saying that no laws apply to you, even if the victim also were to say no laws should apply. Think about it from another practical perspective: if immunity from laws could be granted by the victim of a crime, imagine the pressure criminals would put on victims to state that they consented to the crime.
link
paxys 771 days ago
All fraud conducted in the US or related to the US in any way is under the purview of the US government. The specifics of how it was done doesn't really matter.
link
tmn 771 days ago
They did decide they’re entitled to taxes on transactions..
link
aj3 771 days ago
I bet this indictment will be used as a case study to justify the need for government oversight and taxation.
link