Posted on 05/30/2015 9:30:40 AM PDT by Beave Meister
The convicted mastermind behind the world's largest online narcotics emporium has been sentenced by a federal judge to two terms of life in prison and three lesser sentences, USA Today reports. The judge also ordered Ross Ulbricht, 31, to forfeit $184 million dollars. The website made over $187 million before it was shut down in 2013.
The government estimated that roughly $1.2 billion in illegal drug transactions took place on Silk Road.
The judge said it was a "demand expanding operation" and that what Ulbricht did was thoughtful, as opposed to just being an economic experiment. She added that he often referred to it as his life's work and a worldwide criminal enterprise.
"Silk Road was about creating demand and fulfilling demand," the judge said. "You don't fit the criminal profile" — noting that he was well educated — "but you are a criminal."
"I don't know that you feel a lot of remorse," the judge added. "I don't think you know that you hurt a lot of people."
(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...
Oh no! The libertarians ain’t gonna like this one...
There are murderous criminals who have gotten far lighter sentences. The punishment is a little steep IMO.
Sad. This guy used his skills in a way to make crime far easier , safer, more efficient, and above all anonymous.
This serves as a warning to others, but the technique is out there now, already replicated. At first I had some sympathy for a young man being locked up w/o parole, then I read where he tried to have several people killed who may have interfered with his plans. Nothing innocent about hiring a murderer at all. He’s still dangerous if there is any connection to the net.
I made a bunch of cash on Bitcoin because of this guy.
I should send him $20 for the commissary.
The street drug market being underground, there are only sketchy estimates of it that depend on dicey information except for the cases where an operation is actually busted. One thing I’d want to know: Did Ulbrecht grow the street drug market or did he seize a piece of it by competition from other hands?
The murder for hire charges were dropped by the prosecution yet the judge used these accusations as justification for the life sentence.
Life sentence I can understand, $184 million I can understand, but no parole? Can't understand that. Hell, even Manson gets a parole hearing.
5.56mm
Prohibition was vicious too. It attracted the unsavory and evil like moths to a flame.
People look in the wrong direction for salvation from their sins when they blame some inanimate thing for them. If nobody welcomed street drugs there would not be a market.
If so that sounds improper.
If we are not fair even to the worst, then we have ceased to be free.
Gees I guess I am ill informed because I have never heard about this Silk Road!
Did Ulbrecht grow the street drug market or did he seize a piece of it by competition from other hands?
...
I don’t know if the judge is right or not, but she determined that he grew the market.
Sites like silkroad are up and running now (agora) ...big deal ...no different than any street corner in the hood.
Was this based on actual truth however, or on one sided data. There wouldn’t be a way to quantify the little mom and pops that he put out of business.
A product of the uber lib Austin, TX public school system. Can’t imagine where he had his first hit. Just Keepin’ Austin Weird.
His attorneys will be filing appeals before the ink is dry.
Sounds like grounds for appeal. Unproven outside the case facts are usually excluded.
“Life sentence I can understand, $184 million I can understand, but no parole? Can’t understand that. Hell, even Manson gets a parole hearing.”
FYI, there is no parole in Federal prison. Federal judges have minimum sentencing guidelines, and in this case, the minimum was 20 years, and it appears the maximum was life in prison. Federal judges cannot deviate from the guidelines.
Federal prisoners are only eligible to receive time off for good behavior, and that amounts to 15% of the prison term. With a life term, it would seem that time off for good behavior would not apply.
As for Manson, he is in a California STATE prison where the rules are different, as most states do have a parole system.
I doubt it was one sided. In court the defense can rebut any evidence that the prosecution presents.
He could get some Cup O’ Noodles and Slim Jim’s.
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