Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Sentenced To Life In Prison

[Garion_55]

Source: http://www.npr.org

Ross Ulbricht, the San Francisco man who created Silk Road, was sentenced Friday to life in prison for his role in operating the shadowy online marketplace.

Ulbricht faced at least 20 years in prison, but federal prosecutors had sought a "substantially" longer sentence.

As we reported in February, Ulbricht was found guilty of seven drug and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors said his website, which had been labeled the eBay of the drug trade, allowed drug dealers and others to anonymously reach a broader base of customers. The site, which ran for nearly three years, closed after Ulbricht's arrest in 2013.

Prosecutors say Ulbricht enabled more than 1 million drug deals on the site, which, along with other illicit activity, generated more than $214 million in sales, and earned him about $18 million in bitcoins.

Read more: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/05/29/410580782/silk-road-founder-ross-ulbricht-sentenced-to-life-in-prison?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150529

---

yet rapists and child molesters get 7-15 years.

bankers who rape our economy get fines and no jail time.

killer cops dont even get indicted.

its like i woke up into bizarro world this morning.

[nichomachus]

1. So, kind of like Uber for druggers n/t

[NaturalHigh]

2. Gee, I feel safer.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. One very good reason

He was "intruding" in the profits of the legal drug market, and damaged their income. He must be punished!

[FrodosPet]

10. Another good reason?

People DIED because of Silk Road. And while they may not have gotten "the goods" on him (yet), it appears he solicited murder for hire to protect his enterprise.

I do NOT feel sorry for this man.

[Stryst]

40. Selling drugs is one thing.

Drug users choose to take drugs. Once he crossed the line into violence... well, we reap what we sow.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

59. I had not followed the story. Wow.

[Ikonoklast]

16. He was no different from any other cartel boss.

If you crossed him, he'd try to have you killed. He ordered six murders.


Another Libertarian dirtbag who thought laws didn't apply to him gets what he deserves.

[FrodosPet]

19. But he was helping people get heroin, cocaine, meth...

In the eyes of some people, that makes someone a hero. Bush, Cheney, bankers, and pharmaceutical company heads being scumbags who should be in jail but aren't means no one else goes to jail either.

[HERVEPA]

26. Yeh. Right. Everything is about big pharma.

The subject doesn't matter.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

32. Yeah, well, no.

[HERVEPA]

33. Care to post a coherent response?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

60. Yea? Well, no.

[HERVEPA]

62. OK. I'll wait until after your hangover.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

63. two words, one syllable each.

[avaistheone1]

67. I thought he was caught setting up about 5 murder for hires.

This doesn't sound like an innocent man. imo

[ChairmanAgnostic]

68. I totally missed that before these posts.

Wow, just wow.

[Sgt Preston]

77. Why wasn't he prosecuted for this?

Maybe because the evidence wasn't good enough?

[Chan790]

79. Smart prosecution.

I never really thought about it before one of my best friends from college became an executive ADA of a major US city but he pointed out a smart strategy.

If you have someone and you can charge them with 100s of crimes...charge them with enough to put them away for life but hold back some charges you know you can get a conviction on from incidents unrelated to the ones you are prosecuting on, so that if you lose or something goes bad...you can then charge them with the unrelated crimes you know you have them dead-to-rights on.

In this case, there was enough on Ulbricht to get a LwP without the murder-for-hire charges or the drug transactions and wire fraud related to them. If he'd somehow managed to get declared not-guilty on these charges...the prosecutor would have had him immediately taken into custody for prosecution on the murders-for-hire. Double jeopardy would not have applied because he was not prosecuted on any charge related to the same criminal act as the murder-for-hire scheme.

[jmowreader]

81. In other words, the Al Capone strategy

[roamer65]

4. I'd like to see scumbag bankers get the same sentences.

Yeah, like that will happen.

This country is fucked up.

[SoapBox]

5. And the Bush War Criminals walk free, rich and happy.

How many trillions did they waste?

[BrotherIvan]

8. Yup

[Maedhros]

6. More Big Government interfering with the Invisible Hand of the Marketplace.

[Renew Deal]

7. Dealing drugs is illegal even in bizarro world.

[FrodosPet]

9. People died because of Silk Road

http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/29/technology/silk-road-ross-ulbricht-prison-sentence/index.html?iid=Lead

~snip ~

The judge also said there was "no doubt" that Ulbricht paid for murders of those who had threatened Silk Road. Prosecutors had charged Ulbricht with commissioning six murders-for-hire but those charges were dropped and there is no evidence that these murders were ever carried out.

~ snip ~

Ulbricht also apologized to the family members in court of two people who had died from overdoses from drugs they had purchased on Silk Road.

Richard, a father from Boston whose son, Bryan, who was identified only by his first name, died after using drugs bought on Silk Road read a letter he'd written to the court. "I strongly believe my son would be here today if Ross Ulbricht hadn't created silk road," he said.

~snip ~

He was not a struggling guy selling a few eighths and dimes of weed to survive. He made huge money facilitating the sales of DANGEROUS drugs.

[Garion_55]

12. legal drug companies are killing way more than that.

Daniela Perdomo: Your book includes some staggering stats. For example, 100,000 Americans die each year from prescription drugs — that’s 270 per day, or, as you put it, more than twice as many who are killed in car accidents each day. Could you elaborate on this? Are these people abusing their prescription drugs or is this a sign of prescription meds gone bad?

Melody Petersen: The study estimating that 100,000 Americans die each year from their prescriptions looked only at deaths from known side effects. That is, those deaths didn’t happen because the doctor made a mistake and prescribed the wrong drug, or the pharmacist made a mistake in filling the prescription, or the patient accidentally took too much. Unfortunately, thousands of patients die from such mistakes too, but this study looked only at deaths where our present medical system wouldn’t fault anyone. Tens of thousands of people are dying every year from drugs they took just as the doctor directed. This shows you how dangerous medications are.







Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Prosecutor Michael Loucks remembers clearly when lawyers for Pfizer Inc., the world’s largest drug company, looked across the table and promised it wouldn’t break the law again.

It was January 2004, and the attorneys were negotiating in a conference room on the ninth floor of the federal courthouse in Boston, where Loucks was head of the health-care fraud unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. One of Pfizer’s units had been pushing doctors to prescribe an epilepsy drug called Neurontin for uses the Food and Drug Administration had never approved.

In the agreement the lawyers eventually hammered out, the Pfizer unit, Warner-Lambert, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of marketing a drug for unapproved uses.

New York-based Pfizer agreed to pay $430 million in criminal fines and civil penalties, and the company’s lawyers assured Loucks and three other prosecutors that Pfizer and its units would stop promoting drugs for unauthorized purposes.

[FrodosPet]

14. Oh, sorry! I guess it is OK to be evil and greedy

As long as someone else is even more evil and greedy.

Oy.

[Garion_55]

15. its ok to be consistent

we let legal drug companies legally kill thousands of people every year with their drugs. how many people does anheiser bush kill every year with legal booze? marlboro?

this guy wasnt even selling the drugs. he just set up a website where other people could.

[Travis_0004]

52. we have laws.

Cocaine is illegal. Beer is Legal. Im ok with that

[Garion_55]

55. yes! because freedom!

[HERVEPA]

27. And saving way more. You going to refuse the life-saving anti-biotic when you need it?

(Not a defense of pharmaceutical companies. Yeh, drugs will kill a lot of people. And save many many more. Not that hard to understand.

[FrodosPet]

37. Heart patients don't need Lopressor or Minoxidil

They need Methamphetamine or Cocaine!

[NuclearDem]

39. Let me know when Pfizer or Lilly orders a hit on someone.

[brett_jv]

51. So, you think there's nothing wrong with a judge deciding someone serves LIFE ...

Based on 'charges' THAT WERE DROPPED BY PROSECUTORS?!?

In other words, prosecutors 'filed' the charges, then dropped them, but the Judge takes it upon herself to 'declare' that there's 'no doubt' that the accused actually DID do what the DROPPED CHARGES said .. and therefore take that into account during sentencing?!?

That is some fascist thinking right there. Congrats.

And SO WHAT if two people died from drugs they got on Silk Road? Seriously.

I'm not saying 'who cares', obviously it's sad, but how many people do you think die everyday from drugs they get on the street? Probably dozens in teh US alone, every single day. At least on Silk Road you could look at reviews, and the 'storefronts' have a considerable interest in NOT screwing over their customers.

Fact is, people OD ... or they mix drugs they shouldn't. Sometimes they're tainted ... it's sad but happens every day. Do you think the makers of liquor should be prosecuted for every DUI and every case of cirrohsis and every alcohol poisoning death? Makers of cigs prosecuted as MURDERERS for every smoking death? Gimme a break.

Assuming that the charges of murder for hire (which I don't believe, personally) are false, to those of us who think the 'war on (some people using some) drugs' is an evil joke, Ross was LESS guilty of doing something wrong than the entire industries of Big Alcohol and Big Tobacco ... his role was closer to the property owner where someone else operated a Bar or Liquor Store.

[Sgt Preston]

78. Nice post.

+1.

[Major Nikon]

61. More dangerous than alcohol?

[project_bluebook]

11. Justice for all?

And the wall street banksters who robbed billions get bonuses

[FrodosPet]

17. The poor oppressed man, struggling to get by. Should we launch a GoFundMe for his legal defense?

Is it OK to carjack someone because "Hey! Bankers got away with it!"?

[project_bluebook]

18. you missed the point

and I don't have time to educate you.

[FrodosPet]

20. I got the point perfectly

This guy was a piece of shit who got what he deserves. Hard prison time.

[Psephos]

22. The point was...

...not that he has to go to prison but that he has to go for so much longer than people who have done far worse.

[FrodosPet]

24. He solicited murder while helping people sell drugs that kill

Life in prison without parole. I have no problem at all with that.

Should those other people go to prison for long times, even life, as well? Probably. But that should not get him a pass.

[Garion_55]

25. bartenders and store clerks also 'sell drugs that kill'

lets start locking everyone up!!!

[FrodosPet]

28. Are they selling something illegal?

WTF? Why do you want to give this murderous libertarian extremist asshole a free pass?

[Psephos]

29. Federal guidelines are 20 years.

He will live what, another 40 years? 50K/year to keep him caged...a couple of million dollars paid by us that could be allocated more usefully, imo.

The drug guy gets waaaaay more punishment than normal, while legions of government-protected crooks who have utterly "damaged the social fabric" (quoting the judge) get nothing. That was the point.

Damn fool judge thinks she sent a message. Well, she did, but not the one she thought.

Puritanism remains embedded in our thinking about which crimes deserve ultimate punishments.

[FrodosPet]

30. OK, give him 20 years for the drugs

Then charge voluntary manslaughter for the overdose deaths and the 6 solicitations to murder.

Then the precious guidelines can be adhered to while he spends the rest of his life in maximum security.

[NuclearDem]

41. Can't shut down dangerous black markets until all bankers everywhere have been arrested!

[OneCrazyDiamond]

13. Bankers get a tax payer funded bonus. eom

[FrodosPet]

21. Silk Road Boss’ First Murder-for-Hire Was His Mentor’s Idea

http://www.wired.com/2015/04/silk-road-boss-first-murder-attempt-mentors-idea/

THE ALLEGATION THAT the Silk Road’s Dread Pirate Roberts attempted to pay for six murders has loomed over the story of that massive online drug market. How could the pseudonymous figure preaching non-violent, libertarian ideals stoop to commissioning the paid killings of half a dozen people?

Now a newly revealed chat log from the case sheds light on how the first of those paid murder attempts appears to have arisen. The logs show it was not the creator of the Silk Road who first suggested enlisting the services of a hit man, but rather his top advisor and mentor.

~ snip ~

Earlier this week, a trove of new records from the Silk Road pre-trial hearings was unsealed, including logs of January 2013 instant-message conversations that prosecutors say were pulled from the laptop of Ross Ulbricht at the time of his arrest. In February, Ulbricht was convicted of being the Dread Pirate Roberts, Silk Road’s creator and owner. But the recorded conversations, along with the other sealed documents, had been kept secret throughout Ulbricht’s trial earlier this year to avoid compromising an investigation that led to the arrest Monday of two federal agents on corruption charges.

~ snip ~

As they’re presented by the prosecution, the chat logs seem to show for the first time how the Dread Pirate Roberts is persuaded to commission Green’s murder. And he’s convinced not by a federal agent seeking to entrap him in the act, but by Cimon, his own trusted mentor and advisor. That initial step into the use of violence to protect his interests and the Silk Road would eventually lead Roberts to pay for five more murders.

~ snip ~

Why is anyone upset about this shitstain going to prison?

[OneCrazyDiamond]

35. I can't say I know the answer to your question,

but suspect you nailed it on post 14

Oh, sorry! I guess it is OK to be evil and greedy

As long as someone else is even more evil and greedy.

That seems to be how decisions are made these days.

[BainsBane]

23. I thought sites like that also sold children

to pedophiles?

[FrodosPet]

31. Over 80 Percent of Dark-Web Visits Relate to Pedophilia, Study Finds

http://www.wired.com/2014/12/80-percent-dark-web-visits-relate-pedophilia-study-finds/

THE MYSTERIOUS CORNER of the Internet known as the Dark Web is designed to defy all attempts to identify its inhabitants. But one group of researchers has attempted to shed new light on what those users are doing under the cover of anonymity. Their findings indicate that an overwhelming majority of their traffic is driven by the Dark Web’s darkest activity: the sexual abuse of children.

At the Chaos Computer Congress in Hamburg, Germany today, University of Portsmouth computer science researcher Gareth Owen will present the results of a six-month probe of the web’s collection of Tor hidden services, which include the stealthy websites that make up the largest chunk of the Dark Web. The study paints an ugly portrait of that Internet underground: drug forums and contraband markets are the largest single category of sites hidden under Tor’s protection, but traffic to them is dwarfed by visits to child abuse sites. More than four out of five Tor hidden services site visits were to online destinations with pedophilia materials, according to Owen’s study. That’s over five times as many as any of the other categories of content that he and his researchers found in their Dark Web survey, such as gambling, bitcoin-related sites or anonymous whistle-blowing.

The researchers’ disturbing statistics could raise doubts among even the staunchest defenders of the Dark Web as a haven for privacy. “Before we did this study, it was certainly my view that the dark net is a good thing,” says Owen. “But it’s hampering the rights of children and creating a place where pedophiles can act with impunity.”

~ snip ~

[brett_jv]

48. But Silk Road had nothing to do with child abuse or pedo materials in fact it was forbidden there ..

As were stolen Credit Cards or suspected identity theft and that sort of thing.

It was a drug market (complete with user reviews of merchants) pretty much entirely. A much safer way for people who want drugs to get them, without the dangers of street buying and w/o funding drug gangs, etc.

Just because 'the Dark Web' is used by a lot of pedophiles doesn't mean everyone on it was there for that purpose. Probably 80% of bandwidth on the regular internet is being used on porn at any given time ... doesn't mean that everyone who's on the internet is using it to watch porn ...

BTW, this sentence is a fucking travesty, and this judge SUCKS.

[joshcryer]

34. Terrible.

[FrodosPet]

36. What part do you find terrible?

That he tried to get several people murdered, or that he helped facilitate the sales of dangerous drugs like meth, or that he is going to jail for it?

[joshcryer]

46. He was not charged or sentenced on attempted murder.

He ran an illicit website that may have been damaging to citizens but the only reason he was in jail was because he got caught and had poor security measures.

The idea that he has to be an example to the dozens of other illicit dark web illegal seller sites out there is absolutely preposterous.

The time simply does not fit the crime.

[Socal31]

38. Wow.....

Although the sophomoric "play stupid games, win stupid prizes" meme is fitting in this instance, it is still an unreal sentence in my eyes.

This is a win for GlaxoelismithlillySquibb.....pure and simple.

[NuclearDem]

42. It's truly tragic.

Where else will people with absolutely no medical credentials or knowledge of a customer's medical history be able to sell potentially lethal or crippling pharmaceuticals?

Remember kids: Pharmaceutical companies manufacturing these drugs and the licensed professionals prescribing them, bad; completely anonymous people online selling those same drugs without any knowledge of what they might do or who they're selling them to, victory against Big Pharma!

[Socal31]

43. Nice spin.

"Where else will people with absolutely no medical credentials or knowledge of a customer's medical history be able to sell potentially lethal or crippling pharmaceuticals?"

The street.

[NuclearDem]

44. Fuck Big Pharma! It screws consumers!

What we need instead is a completely unregulated marketplace that, by its very illegal nature, gives absolutely no power to the consumer and all the power to the suppliers, essentially allowing them to charge whatever they want for whatever pills in whatever state they want! It's brilliant!

Oops, did I send you the wrong dosage? Sorry, those numbers are hard to read! Oops, entirely wrong class of drug? Sorry, colors looked the same.

Well, at least you can't report me to the police! What are you gonna say, you bought some bad controlled substances on the black market? They'll take kindly to that!

Oh well, guess you're stuck with whatever mystery pills we send you! Because fuck Big Pharma!

[Socal31]

45. Because "properly prescribed" drugs NEVER cause problems, right?

As long as the drug dealer is wearing a white coat and takes insurance, everyone is safe.


Have a good weekend.

[FrodosPet]

47. And they need to quit arresting people for DUI

Because sometimes sober drivers get in accidents that kill people as well.

[brett_jv]

49. No ... but people who get caught for texting while driving should get teh same $10K fine ...

Along with months of 'driving-texter school' at like $1000 for the course, 3 years probation, work detail, mandatory loss of license for 6 months, massively increased insurance costs for minimum 3 years, instant incarceration if caught texting while driving again for 3 years.

Oh, wait, no, nevermind, it's like maybe a $50 ticket ... and nothing else. PFFFT.

The severity of Drunk Driving laws compared to other equally dangerous sh*t IS f***ing ridiculous.

[NuclearDem]

53. Never said prescription drugs ordered by a doctor can't have negative effects.

Still doesn't mean it's rational or safe to buy dangerous prescription drugs from the black market.

So, your argument is still essentially "black market that screws customers, good; Big Pharma, bad."

Wonderful.

[Garion_55]

58. you are making the case for all drugs to be legal

[NuclearDem]

64. ...

Whatever you say.

[Garion_55]

69. just going by what you said

"Still doesn't mean it's rational or safe to buy dangerous prescription drugs from the black market"


its not rational or safe to buy any drug off of the black market, whatever it is. thus it should all be legal and regulated.

[NuclearDem]

70. Yes, because pharmaceuticals are the same thing as cocaine.

You're the one who apparently prefers the black market to the current health delivery system.

[Garion_55]

71. incorrect

i want all drugs to be treated like our most dangerous drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

[NuclearDem]

72. So your answer to bad pharmaceuticals killing people

is to take whatever steps limit their distribution and toss them out. Sell Xanax just like alcohol.

It's some serious libertarian bullshit that suggests people are going to know what they're getting into if they're buying these drugs over the counter.

[Garion_55]

73. prescription vs recreational

the point is none of them should be illegal. how and why and where and who gets them to the end user will vary

[brett_jv]

50. Yeah ... if you CHOOSE to go there ... you do so knowing those risks ...

That's why they have consumer reviews and such, to try to help keep people on the up and up.

The other option is street dealers, often connected to drug cartels. How is THAT 'better'?

The argument that darknet sales screws 'big pharma' is probably only really relevant to the cases of people buying marijuana on the darknet instead of more toxic pharmaceuticals. Obviously just buying Rx drugs through darknet isn't 'screwing' Pharma at all ... they made their money already from teh person that purchased them to SELL on the darknet to begin with.

ALTHOUGH, often times Rx drugs on the darknet were bought originally in Canada or India or the like, where Big Pharma has MUCH lower margins, so there IS that 'screwing' of Big Pharma going on, potentially.

The Drug War just really needs to friggin' END is the truth.

[ButterflyBlood]

54. Seeing as how the guy tried to order six hits I can't have any sympathy

He was just as violent and sociopathic as any Mexican cartel leader.

[Garion_55]

57. apparently there was no evidence he did.

thus the lack of charges

[Ikonoklast]

75. Wrong. The charges weren't pursued, as the federal crime was the more serious one.

There is ample evidence he attempted to hire hit men.

Maryland can still charge him with attempted murder for hire and can do so at any time.


Pointless now as he will be in prison now for a long, long time.

The charge is still open and was never dropped by the state. If he had been acquitted of the federal charges he would have been instantly arrested and remanded to the state of Maryland to stand trial.

[closeupready]

65. I might have been sympathetic to claims of 'extreme' sentence, but

those allegations cancelled it out.

So +1 to you.

[tenderfoot]

66. If this guy was a member of the Bloods or Crips - I highly doubt people would be defending him.

eom

[Warpy]

74. I wake up to bizarro world every damn morning

because the same thieves and stupid shitheads still control it.

The PTB are terrified of drugs because if we feel good, we won't work as hard. The idiots don't realize that happy workers are the hardest workers, something they knew when hard drugs were OTC in every dime store, soda fountain, and pharmacy.

Besides, it was a great way to ensure the Civil Rights Acts of the 70s didn't result in their having to compete with smart black folks because they could throw 'em all in jail on trumped up drug charges and juries would believe it.

They'll never punish the banksters, who are on balance making more money for the rich than they're stealing.

[CBGLuthier]

76. There is a new documentary called Deep Web about this case. It alleges the government broke the law

to find his identity and prosecute him. I take no particular sides, apparently he wanted people killed so he does not sound like a good guy to me but when the government violates law themselves then where is their moral high ground to be found?

[Blue_Tires]

80. Fuck 'im...He deserves everything he's got coming his way

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/read-transcript-silk-roads-boss-ordering-5-assassinations/