He was offered a plea deal that would've had him out of prison in ten years. He turned it down.
It really isn't a fair system of justice of you are offered a lenient plea deal versus a draconian sentence if you roll the dice and lose.
Clearly, the government felt that ten years was a reasonable time to serve.
He thought he could beat it obviously. He chose poorly, knowing darn well that he was starting a site with illegal intentions. He just thought that since he personally didn’t engage in these illegal activities that, that absolved him of any wrongdoing, but he was providing the opportunity n engage in the criminal activity, which to me is being an accessory to a crime. But I agree to have such an offer presented and then to receive a far more severe sentence, is a criminal act as well, in my view at any rate. But it goes to the heart of exposing just how much the criminal system is being allowed to be subverted. Whomever asked for, and whomever allocated, that sentence should be disbarred.
He would have had to name names of his business customers, potential partners, Bitcoin routing, and multiple other connections to get the offer. Had he done so, he would have needed to enter the witness protection program.