Not unexpected. The FBI has generally been a gang filled with thieves for at least 20 years. I'm not old enough to know if it was always like this.

It takes a lot of guts, and some real resources, to fight back when the FBI violates you like this. I never even considered it after some FBI stole all my computers(*1) and then, when 10 years later they gave them back, all my bitcoin was missing (the files and OS and everything there; the wallet was just wiped and replaced w/blank one with no transactions).

ref 1. My apartment was raided and burgled by the FBI as part of a 50+ person cross-country fishing expedition warrant looking for wikileaks members to squash political dissent in 2011. I was never charged with a crime or even indicted.

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bbarnett 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

If you have your public address, you should be able to see if the coin is thieved away.

If so, there are many a lawyer that would pro bono that I presume, especially with the price of bitcoin today.

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2 days ago | parent | next [-]

[deleted]

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superkuh 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

They replaced the entire wallet. The new wallet has no transactions at all while mine should've had many many dozens. So there were no addresses to check. I certainly didn't memorize them back then.

As for stirring trouble again with a lawsuit: I definitely don't want saurons eye back upon me. I just can't handle that kind of stress. Even if I'm in the right and it'd be a life changing amount of money. Even posting about it here on HN makes my anxiety spike and me start sweating. Just typing this kind of thing in public is risky.

It takes a strong person to stand up to the FBI. I wish Linda Martin all the luck and support. Hopefully they don't use her fighting back as a reason to target her for more harassment.

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djrj477dhsnv a day ago | parent | next [-]

> I certainly didn't memorize them back then.

If you obtained or spent the bitcoin with a company or person that you are still able to contact, you should be able to get an address.

	▲	bbarnett 14 hours ago \| parent [-]
		And that would also validate control of the same address at some point. One thing to bear in mind is that it could have been a contractor who worked for the FBI. Someone at an external firm hired to do the job. Or just a tech at the FBI. The FBI would still be liable, but would also potentially point their ire at the thief and criminal who did so, under contract. A law firm might pro-bono the detective work, to see just who spent that coin, if anyone did.

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Mountain_Skies 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

"The process is the punishment" comes to mind. Not everyone is cut out to be a fighter and it's a shame that so many people end up needing to be one just to live their lives.

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IncreasePosts 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Why would the FBI "take" your wallet without the password?

Just to be petty? Why would someone assume you didn't have a backup?

I'd guess some bug in your wallet app zeroed it out, if this even happened.

Why'd the FBI take your computers?

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g-b-r 2 days ago | parent [-]

Did you notice the wikileaks mention?

	▲	IncreasePosts 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Sure, but why was OP targeted?

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bell-cot 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Yeah. In theory, the Constitution very clearly says that that kinda stuff is utterly verboten.

In practice, the Courts (supposedly sworn to uphold that Constitution) will happily accept 'most any hare-brained theory, so long is the bottom line is that the gov't and its chums are free to do as they wish unto the weak and expendable.

And this situation is nothing like unique to the past 2-3 decades. Nor to the Federal gov't. Nor to the US of A. I'd bet it was SOP in most places, back when the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi was first being written down.

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lostmsu 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Sorry, but I can't simply believe an account like this. Did you sue them to recover the damages?

	▲	masfuerte 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Your privilege is showing.
	▲	esbranson 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		I can never tell if it's far left or far right, they use the same hyperbole. They even hate the same people.