S16 E59: Curtis Green on Bitcoin, Silk Road & Forgiveness

Nov 14, 2025

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Curtis Green, better knows by OG bitcoiners as "Chronicpain" or "Flush", is a former forum moderator and website administrator of the Silk Road internet marketplace. He is a man who has mined bitcoin early enough to get scammed by Butterfly Labs, and was allegedly also the target of a bounty on assassination markets. He's seen all eras of Bitcoin, and today he seeks to get pardoned by the Trump administration. He will accept donations from community members in order to get the legal help he needs. Read Curtis Green's book, "Silk Road Takedown": https://www.amazon.com/dp/1729436889 Donate to Curtis Green: https://www.satlantis.io/events/1210/Evening-with-OG-Curtis-Green%2C-admin-of-The-Silk-Road Time stamps: 00:01:18 Welcome Curtis Green, Silk Road OG 00:02:06 Seeking Clemency, Focus Shift from Ross 00:04:02 Misnomers, Site Rules & Govt Narrative 00:07:27 Bitcoin Skepticism, Forum Learning 00:11:02 PGP/Key Lessons 00:13:04 Harm Reduction Suggestion, Forum Admin 00:15:23 Freedom Emphasis, Site Growth Post-Schumer 00:17:00 Bitcoin as Freedom Tool 00:21:36 Verify Mindset 00:22:59 Mining & Gifting BTC, Family Rejection 00:26:01 Price Doubts, Ethereum Shift 00:29:02 Arrest Warning 00:33:40 Mining Fun 00:36:02 When Schumer Promoted Silk Road 00:38:17 Arrest Story, Corrupt Agents 00:39:55 BTC Theft by Shaun ridges 00:43:04 Faked Torture, Murder Threat 00:45:04 Playing Dead for 10 Months 00:48:03 Narrative Control, Cash Seizure 00:51:21 Limited DPR Info, Accusations 00:53:28 Site Takedown, Personal Hell 00:55:00 Family Struggles, Entrepreneurship 00:57:12 Book & Documentary Distortions 00:59:45 Corrupt Agents' Trials 01:02:30 Force's Extortion Attempts 01:05:15 Bridges' Theft Details 01:07:50 Sentencing, No Prison 01:10:20 Clemency Petition 01:13:45 Bitcoin Evolution Reflections 01:16:10 Mining Zcash, Privacy Views 01:19:30 Early Bitcoin Doubts 01:22:45 Forum Discussions, Community 01:25:00 Harm Reduction Impact 01:27:30 Global Revolution Hopes 01:32:03 Consensus & Debates 01:34:02 Aha Moments 01:39:01 Narrative Shaping Power 01:41:23 Life Experiences Gratitude 01:43:37 Speaking Out, Misjudgments 01:45:03 Educating on Crypto Choices 01:46:00 Future Optimism 01:47:32 Educators like Antonopoulos 01:49:52 Community Support Moments 01:52:07 Bitcoin Changes Narrative 01:53:02 Lightning Node Experience 01:55:55 Lightning Hopes & Issues 01:57:05 Wrapped BTC Concerns 01:59:14 WBTC on Ethereum Popularity 02:00:14 Block Size Debates 02:02:07 Satoshi's Scaling Views 02:04:33 Lightning Limitations 02:06:00 Scaling Consensus Challenges 02:08:44 Roger Ver's Unity Point 02:10:10 Early Empty Blocks 02:12:04 Zcash Proposal for Bitcoin 02:14:03 Sponsors: NoOnes & SideShift 02:16:42 ShapeShift Confusion 02:18:00 Tunnel Vision on BTC Amounts 02:18:07 Bitcoin Changes & Consensus Hopes 02:18:30 ETFs Caution, Mainstream Adoption 02:19:33 Peer-to-Peer Origins, Early Exchanges 02:20:05 Postal Money Orders for BTC 02:21:02 Alpaca Socks & Honey Purchases 02:21:49 Early BTC Buys, Galaxy Tab Scam 02:23:15 BTC as Tool, Not Dollars 02:24:01 Holding vs Spending 02:26:00 Early Satoshi Discussions 02:27:27 Adoption Decline Rant 02:28:22 BTC Scarcity & Usage 02:29:03 Layer 2 Hopes, Wife's Worries 02:30:05 Mining Challenges Over Time 02:31:03 Still Early in Bitcoin? 02:32:25 Satoshi's Blueprint, Competition 02:33:30 First Bitcoin Encounter 02:34:51 Silk Road Catalyst for BTC 02:35:25 Rabbit Hole Journey 02:36:31 Govt Op Doubts Nixed 02:37:02 Aha Moment in 2012 02:38:00 Grateful for Silk Road Lessons 02:39:02 Bad Rap Focus on Drugs 02:40:47 Pinnacle in BTC History 02:41:29 Speaking Out & Education 02:42:03 DPR's Clean Water Ideas 02:43:00 Zcash Mining Hype & Launch Supply Dynamics 02:45:01 Keeping ZEC, Mining Costs 02:46:09 Buying vs Mining Regrets 02:47:11 Hindsight on Holding 02:48:31 ASIC Delivery Post-Arrest 02:49:03 Keeping Quiet on Miners 02:50:07 Side Stories Justification 02:51:03 Mentality Shifts 02:52:17 Hopes for Bitcoin Win 02:53:01 Cultural vs Technical Issues 02:53:46 SegWit & Taproot Changes 02:55:38 Privacy Proposals 02:57:01 Developer Frustrations 02:58:04 Greed & Humanity Balance 02:59:20 Year-by-Year Changes 03:00:04 ETF as Scaling Layer 03:02:05 High Hopes & 21M Cap Worries 03:03:05 Verification Defeat 04:03:30 Genesis Block & Bailouts 04:04:03 Fractional Reserves Drop 04:04:38 ETF Trust Issues 04:04:52 Proof of Keys Celebration 04:05:55 Back to Banks Cycle 04:06:07 Lightning Custodial Wallets & Centralization 04:14:02 Start9 & Braiins BMM Miner 04:18:02 Home Miners Appeal 04:49:44 Guilty Plea Frustrations 04:51:18 AlphaBay Documentary & Monero Adoption 04:52:48 Dark Web Warnings 04:55:32 Trusted Escrows 04:56:47 Bitcoin Talk Scams 04:57:13 Satlantis Donations & Adopting Bitcoin Talk