Dread Pirate Roberts receives life without parole for Silk Road

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

The silk road guy got double life
That surprised me. I think hes still got a trial in md too


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[vaskidmark]

It's to send a message.

He can at least take consolation in the fact that he will serve them concurrently.

stay safe.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Sorry got his name wrong
The accusations of murder-for-hire in Ulbricht’s case have become a controversial albatross around the 30-year-old defendant’s neck: despite describing how Ulbricht allegedly attempted to pay for the murders of six people in pre-trial documents, prosecutors haven’t actually charged Ulbricht with those murders. Nor have they produced any evidence that anyone was actually killed. He has, however, been charged with attempting to pay for the killing of his alleged Silk Road employee Curtis Clark Green in a separate case in Maryland—the hitman to whom he allegedly paid $80,000 was an undercover DEA agent.

When Ulbricht was first arrested in October of last year, prosecutors’ claims of his violent acts quickly eroded his popular support among Silk Road’s thousands of users and much of the libertarian community. His alleged persona in the Silk Road’s community forums, by contrast, had encouraged only victimless crime like drug use, and advocated a nonviolent free market philosophy. Ulbricht’s lawyers and family have argued that the alleged killings without formal charges were intended to taint his reputation.

“This is…an uncharged crime, which conveniently requires no proof but goes a long way to prejudice a jury (and the public),” reads a blog post on FreeRoss.org, a website created by Ulbricht’s family and friends. “Basically the prosecution wants [to] smear Ross’ reputation without having to prove anything.”

Despite leaving murder-for-hire out of its charges, the prosecution in the New York case has countered that the murder accusations fall within the broader charge of a narcotics conspiracy. But the defense has repeatedly sought to have discussion of the murder-for-hire cases precluded from the trial. “The mere mention of the ‘murder for hire’ allegations would improperly introduce the toxic issue of violence and murder, generating [irremediable] prejudice to Mr. Ulbricht,” reads the defense’s latest motion filed earlier this week.

Judge Forrest has yet to rule on that motion. In the mean time, those murder accusations will continue to weigh on Ulbricht’s reputation—and keep his defense in the dark.


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[Balog]

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/silk-road-creator-ross-ulbricht-sentenced-life-prison/

What an absolute miscarriage of justice.

[just Warren]

Yup.

[Angel Eyes]

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/At-least-20-years-in-prison-awaits-Silk-Road-6293509.php

NEW YORK (AP) — A San Francisco man who created the underground drug-selling website Silk Road was sentenced Friday to life in prison by a judge who cited six deaths from drugs bought on his site and five people he tried to have killed.

I haven't followed the case very closely, but if the bolded part is true, life without parole is appropriate.


ETA: also being discussed here:  http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=48420.0

Apparently he was not charged with attempting murder-for-hire.

[Balog]

http://www.sfgate.com/business/technology/article/At-least-20-years-in-prison-awaits-Silk-Road-6293509.php

I haven't followed the case very closely, but if the bolded part is true, life without parole is appropriate.

You'll note that he wasn't charged with those crimes. They just mentioned them a lot to prejudice people, but never had to do any of that icky proving the charges thing.

[Balog]

Ulbricht’s defense team has already said it will seek an appeal in his case. That call for a new trial will be based in part on recent revelations that two Secret Service and Drug Enforcement Administration agents involved in the investigation of the Silk Road allegedly stole millions of dollars of bitcoin from the site.

[Balog]

The defense’s arguments about Ulbricht’s character and his idealistic motives were also undercut by accusations that Ulbricht had paid for the murder of six people, including a potential informant and a blackmailer. Those accusations never became formal charges in Ulbricht’s case—five out of six of the murder-for-hires appear to have been part of a lucrative scam targeting Ulbricht, with no actual victims.

[Jamisjockey]

Brought the thread in off the main page and combined them.

[Ron]

Our government and courts are increasingly being run by leftist activists who are devoid of impartiality and professionalism.

Even those who have conservative tendencies are still devoted to the power of the state; conservative principles be damned.

The end is nigh, or not, or something. Regardless it isn't good.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

That pesky contract killing thing might have blinded folks to all the liberty

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-02/news/bal-silk-road-owner-ross-william-ulbricht-allegedly-tried-to-arrange-witness-murder-in-md-20131002_1_silk-road-witness-murder-federal-agent

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[Jamisjockey]

Allegedly and all that.  They didn't even charge him with it.

But you...you're okay with being accused of things in court, and having them bias your sentencing, even if you've not been convicted nor even charged with them, right?

[Andiron]

That pesky contract killing thing might have blinded folks to all the liberty

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-10-02/news/bal-silk-road-owner-ross-william-ulbricht-allegedly-tried-to-arrange-witness-murder-in-md-20131002_1_silk-road-witness-murder-federal-agent

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The contract killings they didn't charge or convict him for?

Bullshit.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Hes currently under indictment in md on the charge where the money changed hands.


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[cassandra and sara's daddy]

Heres a piece that gives some details on the legal jousting in trial
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahjeong/2015/02/03/the-silk-road-trial-that-wasnt/


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[RevDisk]

I'm shocked, shocked that the government came down harder on unregulated commerce than rape, assault, kidnapping, etc.
While the prosecution nailed him with drug charges, they cared more about the "black market" aspects and wanted to send a message.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/266723681/Ulbricht-Prosecution-Sentencing-Letter

II. The Proliferation of “Dark Markets” Like Silk Road Underscores the Need for a Lengthy Sentence

Ulbricht did not merely commit a serious crime in his own right. He developed a  blueprint for a new way to use the Internet to undermine the law and facilitate criminal transactions. Using that blueprint, others have followed in Ulbricht’s footsteps, establishing new “dark markets” in the mold of Silk Road, some selling an even broader range of illicit goods and services than Silk Road itself. Although the Government has achieved some successes in combating these successor dark markets, they continue to pose investigative challenges for law enforcement. The use of sophisticated anonymizing technologies, such as the Tor network, make it difficult to locate the infrastructure and identify the operators behind them.

Curiously, Ulbricht argues that the continuing growth of “dark markets” counsels against factoring general deterrence into his sentence, based on the notion that attempting to deter this type of criminal conduct is pointless. crime, general deterrence interests are a particularly salient sentencing factor in this case. Ulbricht’s conviction is the first of its kind, and his sentencing is being closely watched. The Court thus has an opportunity to send a clear message to anyone tempted to follow his example that the operation of these illegal enterprises comes with severe consequences. While not all may be deterred as a result, that is virtually always the case with any deterrent measure. Cf.  Empress Casino Joliet Corp. v. Balmoral Racing Club, Inc.,  651 F.3d 722, 728 (7th Cir. 2011) (noting that “deterrence is never perfect”). The point is to deter those at the margins. To the extent that would-be imitators may view the risk of being caught to be low, many are still likely to be deterred if the stakes are sufficiently high.

Accordingly, beyond the seriousness of Ulbricht’s offense, the interest in general deterrence of similar criminal conduct also counsels in favor of a lengthy sentence of imprisonment.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I think the fact he paid up on a killing where they provided faked photo proof of death is a big factor in the courts sentence. Then there is that other exchange where he solicits a hit and mentions having had another done and the price


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[De Selby]

I think the fact he paid up on a killing where they provided faked photo proof of death is a big factor in the courts sentence. Then there is that other exchange where he solicits a hit and mentions having had another done and the price


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Like he would've gotten w slap on the wrist otherwise?  You dream.  They threw the book at him.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

They tend to do that when you broker dope deals and hire folks killed. Even if you are a white Eagle Scout


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[Jamisjockey]

I think the fact he paid up on a killing where they provided faked photo proof of death is a big factor in the courts sentence. Then there is that other exchange where he solicits a hit and mentions having had another done and the price


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What fact? He wasn't convicted of said act.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

He describes it himself.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

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


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[freakazoid]

The whole murder for hire thing was discussed some time back. I believe I already spoke my thoughts on that there.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

In this case the murders were a part if the larger criminal enterprise he does not need a separate conviction for murder for them to factor into his guilt here and sentence but without them I doubt life without parole woulda been possible. And his own own words were most damning. The fact that he actually paid up after seeing photo proof finished him. He could win on appeal but I would not hold my breath. And that md case is still hanging


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