Just thinking that maybe it's an LE tactic to seize funds/user info. Vendor account gets compromised, LEOs delay in shutting down the account, letting the escrow funds trickle in... Then they cash out, pocket the money for "future operation funding" and have a whole host of user names/addresses as future leads. Meanwhile, the otherwise anonymous vendor sits in a cell somewhere, and we all just assume he/she ran off into the sunset with the dough.
Has this been conjectured before?
LE would most likely feel the need to brag about any online bust they can get. They tend to try and swing their dick around.