And yes, since it wasn't a registered corporation, all of the share holders are personally liable.
Source?
If it's criminal, RICO in the US?
I seriously doubt they'd meet the bar for being "racketeer influenced" or a "corrupt organisation" as defined by RICO, although pirate might if he was providing large amounts of BTC to "shady" characters as he so often implied. Then again, "organised crime" laws can be quite bizarre. In my state, car "rebirthing" offences are regarded as "organised" crime even if they involve only one person and one car. I personally know someone who was charged with car "rebirthing" offences for taking the compliance plates off a classic car they were restoring. The charges were dismissed in court, but it cost them tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.