RE: @zeartul "hacked." Here's what we know about him so far.
Potentially every Steemian that sent money to @ bellyrub or @ bellyrub bank in the last 3month or ever could be viewed as potential witnesses or even co-conspirators.
Witnesses, maybe... co-conspirators, I really don't think so, since @zeartul is the only one that got away with stolen money.
And it could mean big hassles for Steemit if the Feds get involved.
Again, maybe, but I really don't think so. No more than say, Facebook would be involved if a user was soliciting deposits for a ponzi scheme on their platform. It's actually less, in fact, since there are no private messages on the Steemit platform - but other people have pasted screenshots with their interactions with them on other platforms (e.g., discord.)
Agreed, my suggestions in the post above are a long shot. But it's worth it to help make sure @zeartul is looking over his shoulder for a long, long time.
And like you said, someone might know him in "real life"...and cause him some real problems.
Well the exact law that would be used is probably not written for crypto-currencies. But my concern is the investigation process. It doesn't matter if no one else is found guilty, many will be viewed as suspects until the facts come out. Even then, the gubment's hate for cryptos could see them doing stuff to try and shut Steem down, etc. I hope not, but could.