Picture this: at the venerable Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, three wise judges sat-probably bored but dignified-who decided that Michael Primeās latest cry of āHey! Thatās mine!ā was a tad ⦠unconvincing. Prime, fresh out of the clink, asked for his āpreciousā hard drive back, hoping the FBIās digital extermination was just a bad joke. But nope! They wiped it clean, citing the āstandard proceduresā rule, which is conveniently as flexible as a rubber band. The court noted that Prime had a habit of denying his cryptocurrency empire, only to claim finery later-like a gambler trying to hide his chips after losing the big hand.
āPrimeās delay in claiming rights to his bitcoins was unreasonable,ā said the judges, perhaps with a hint of smirk, āand awarding him the loot would be, well, just plain unfair.ā