Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Found Guilty on All Charges
Ross Ulbricht, operator of the anonymous site The Silk Road, was found guilty of all seven charges late Wednesday afternoon. Ulbricht is believed by the federal government to have used the name “Dread Pirate Roberts” while selling and operating a narcotics ring on the Deep Web’s The Silk Road. Among his charges were conspiracy to sell narcotics and money laundering.
Ulbricht admitted to creating The Silk Road, which operated on the Tor Network and allows users to interact with each other anonymously. Ulbricht’s lawyer Joshua Dratel explained that Ulbricht intended The Silk Road to be a “freewheeling, free market site.” Basically, the site was like an eBay for illegal drugs and other goods, and operated outside of law enforcement control.
He allowed others operating use of the site and doubt was raised that Ulbricht was the real “Dread Pirate Roberts.” Dratel said that, “The real Dread Pirate Roberts is out there,” during opening statements. Despite this, most of the evidence in the case seemed to contradict this statement.
Ultimately, Ulbricht was unable to fully let operation of The Silk Road into other hands and is believed to have been arrested in the science-fiction section of a public library while operating the site. In the time-frame of it’s operation from the beginning of 2011 through the end of 2013, The Silk Road collected more than $213.9 million and another $13.2 million in commission.
The case reflected a dynamic shift between how laws are interpreted in the digital age of the twenty-first century. Attorney Scott Greenfield explained the case as, “…The birth of law as applied to our digital future. Watch it as a spectator at your peril.”
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Not only did the case put to question the freedom of the internet, which is under fire already, but it also allowed the federal government to question the morality of anonymity and privacy. Supporters of Ross Ulbricht believe that the Government lacked specific crimes to charge Ulbricht with, claiming that most of their evidence was illegally obtained. Opponents claim that Ulbricht was the mastermind behind the plotted killings of a handful who threatened to expose The Silk Road and operated the illegal eBay for drugs.
While there was no evidence that any violence occurred in any transaction between Ulbricht, the guilty verdict on all seven charges came back late Wednesday after nearly a month of evidence being presented to the jury consisting of six men and six women. Ulbricht faced charges that also included computer-hacking, drug-trafficking as well as soliciting murder.
Facing a minimum of 30 years to life in prison, Ulbricht will be sentenced on May 15, 2015.
Despite Ross Ulbricht’s unsuccessful attempt at creating a free-market site, other sites have attempted to emerge as The Silk Road’s successor.
[divider]About the Guest Author[/divider]
An aspiring filmmaker with a passion for liberty-minded politics, Charles Barr resides in Monmouth County, New Jersey and attends Montclair State University with the intention of graduating in 2017 with a double major in filmmaking and political science and a minor in communications. Charles has volunteered for various campaigns including: Ron Paul for President 2012, Stephanie Ziemba for State Assembly, Steve Lonegan for US Senate, Ken Kaplan for Governor, Brian Goldberg for US Senate, and Dorit Goikhman for US Congress. In addition to politics, Charles was the assistant director for the feature length film, My Brother’s Girlfriend that premiered in early 2015 and has helped with the production of various shorts. Currently, Charles serves as the Associate Director for the Empowerment PAC, the Assistant Chair of Herrera PAC, and is writing a web-series based on the dangers of prescription painkillers.