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Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, aka the "Dread Pirate Roberts," has been sentenced to life in prison on multiple charges by a federal judge in Manhattan. The charges he faced carried a minimum sentence of 20 years, but he received the maximum sentence of life in prison for "engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise" (The Kingpin Statute):
Ross Ulbricht, the man behind illegal online drug emporium Silk Road, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday by Judge Katherine Forrest of Manhattan's US district court for the southern district of New York. Before the sentencing the parents of the victims of drug overdoses addressed the court. Ulbricht broke down in tears. "I never wanted that to happen," he said. "I wish I could go back and convince myself to take a different path." Ulbrict was handed five sentences one of 20 year, one of 15 years, one of five and two of life. All are to be served concurrently.
Ulbrict, 31, begged the judge to "leave a light at the end of the tunnel" ahead of his sentence. "I know you must take away my middle years, but please leave me my old age," he wrote to Forrest this week. Prosecutors wrote Forrest a 16-page letter requesting the opposite: "[A] lengthy sentence, one substantially above the mandatory minimum is appropriate in this case."
Forrest rejected arguments that Silk Road had reduced harm among drug users by taking illegal activities off the street. "No drug dealer from the Bronx has ever made this argument to the court. It's a privileged argument and it's an argument made by one of the privileged," she said.
Also at Ars Technica, Wired, and The Verge. Ulbricht faces additional charges in Maryland over an alleged murder-for-hire plot.
[Original Submission - Ed.]
(Score: 5, Interesting) by jmorris on Friday May 29 2015, @10:51PM
Seriously. This guy was running a massive drug distribution gang. Among many other criminal activities almost too numerous to list. He got caught, never really pretended to be innocent and was duly convicted and sentenced. Agree or disagree with whether selling drugs should be illegal, it is and people get busted daily. The story here is what exactly? He did it on the Internet? That he was stupid enough to believe the cryptoweenies who thought Tor and Bitcoin was foolproof? Even when Bitcoin doesn't really claim anonymity? Users here were Silk Road customers? Help me out here, what exactly is noteworthy or unusual?
(Score: 5, Informative) by CortoMaltese on Friday May 29 2015, @11:46PM
He was caught because of bad OpSec, not because of an inherent flaw in Tor or Bitcoin