Guilty: DeepDotWeb Owner Confesses

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has said that Tal Prihar, has admitted to operating DeepDotWeb (DDW) alongside co-owner Michael Phan since 2013.  DDW was a portal for news and events surrounding the Dark Web where the co-owners of the domain received kickbacks for connecting buyers and sellers of illegal products. 

According to court documents, Tal Prihar, 37, an Israeli citizen residing in Brazil, owned and operated DDW along with co-defendant Michael Phan, beginning in October 2013. In addition to providing general information about the Darknet, DDW provided users with direct links to illegal Dark Net marketplaces, which are not accessible through traditional search engines. 

The DoJ claims that Phan and Prihar earned themselves over $8 million for providing direct links to marketplaces selling products including firearms, heroin, fentanyl, malware, and stolen data record dumps. The referral links included listings for AlphaBay, Agora, Abraxas, Dream, and Valhalla. 

To hide the kickbacks, which totalled roughly 8,155 Bitcoins (BTC), Prihar laundered the funds through cryptocurrency wallets and bank accounts registered in the name of shell companies. 

It’s not illegal to provide a directory to markets selling illegal things on the Dark Web. It’s another thing entirely if you make money off those sites, though. According to Europol, authorities believe that DeepDotWeb’s admins made millions of dollars in kickbacks from the Dark Web sites they referred people to.

These websites are not indexed on the clear web or by typical search engines. DDW was one of a number of resources that provided lists of active underground marketplaces, together with their hidden link addresses that were accessible via the Tor network. 

 Prihar has agreed to forfeit $8,414,173. The former website administrator has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and he faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years behind bars. Sentencing is due to occur on August 2nd ans his accomplice Phan faces the same charge. Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid of the DoJ's Criminal Division said "This prosecution, seizure of the broker website, and forfeiture send a clear message that we are not only prosecuting the administrators of Darknet marketplaces offering illegal goods and services, but we will also bring to justice those that aim to facilitate and profit from them." 

In September 2020, US law enforcement, together with Europol and other agencies, launched a coordinated takedown of illegal Dark Web vendors leading to 179 arrests. The joint police Operation DisrupTor also included the seizure of over $6.5 million and approximately 500kg in drugs such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy.

US Dept. ofJustice:     Sophos:      Oodaloop:       ZDNet:   

You Might Also Read: 

Avoiding Arrest: Cyber Criminals Share Dark Web Secrets:

 

« How Do The Facebook & LinkedIn Data Leaks Impact Their Users?
N. Korean Hacking Group Is Targeting Security Researchers »

Infosecurity Europe
CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Infosecurity Europe, 3-5 June 2025, ExCel London

Infosecurity Europe, 3-5 June 2025, ExCel London

This year, Infosecurity Europe marks 30 years of bringing the global cybersecurity community together to further our joint mission of Building a Safer Cyber World.

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Professional Information Security Association (PISA)

Professional Information Security Association (PISA)

PISA is an independent and not-for-profit organization for information security professionals, with the primary objective of promoting information security awareness and best practice.

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish.

DarkOwl

DarkOwl

DarkOwl provides the world’s largest index of darknet content and the tools to efficiently find leaked or otherwise compromised sensitive data.

BLUECYFORCE

BLUECYFORCE

BLUECYFORCE is the leading professional training and cyber defense training organization in France.

Mindsight

Mindsight

Mindsight is a technology consulting firm with expertise from cybersecurity to cloud, disaster recovery to infrastructure, and collaboration to contact center.

Antares NetlogiX

Antares NetlogiX

Antares Netlogix are a leading Austrian service provider for IT security, critical infrastructures and managed security services.

FPT Software

FPT Software

As a leading technology service provider, FPT assists customers of all sizes and from any industries in implementing and adapting digital technologies including cybersecurity.

BalkanID

BalkanID

BalkanID is an Identity governance solution that leverages data science to provide visibility into your SaaS & public cloud entitlement sprawl.

Coviant Software

Coviant Software

Coviant Software delivers secure managed file transfer (MFT) software that integrates smoothly and easily with business processes.

Trenton Systems

Trenton Systems

Trenton Systems are committed to providing high-performance computing solutions to customers running mission-critical applications in harsh settings worldwide and across various industries.

Cyber Security Council UAE

Cyber Security Council UAE

The Cyber Security Council's vision is to protect UAE cyberspace, maintain confidence in our digital infrastructure and institutions, and build a cyber-resilient society.

SecurWeave

SecurWeave

SecurWeave's Configurable Hardware Enforced Safety and Security (CHESS) platform has been designed to meet the security and safety criticality needs of the evolving digital industry.

RightCue Assurance

RightCue Assurance

RightCue Assurance identify opportunities for improvement in the Information Security for your organisation and work with you to reduce cyber risk.

InfoSecTrain

InfoSecTrain

InfoSecTrain are a leading training and consulting organization dedicated to providing top-tier IT security training and information security services to organizations and individuals across the globe

Invary

Invary

Invary's expert Runtime Integrity solution, powered by NSA-licensed technology, verifies the security and confidentiality of your system.

Basalt

Basalt

Basalt provide qualified consulting services in information security, personnel security and physical security.