After three weeks of listening to federal prosecutors make their case, Ross Ulbricht now has a chance to defend himself.
The U.S. government has accused Ulbricht of operating the online black market Silk Road, which became the largest marketplace to buy and sell illegal drugs on the Internet before the FBI shut it down in 2013. Ulbricht's charges include computer crimes, drug trafficking, fraud, and more. He could spend the rest of his life in prison, if convicted.
Ulbricht's defense began on Monday. Joshua Dratel, the lead defense attorney, called three character witnesses to kick off his case, each of whom have known Ulbricht personally for over 15 years.
As always, feel free to ask anything about the trial here or at @HowellONeill
It's smart of Ulbricht not to be testifying. With the evidence against him, he would be fried by the prosecution upon cross-examination. This case is going downhill, and for as good as Dratel was supposed to be, he's made an ass out of himself. Unless he pulls out some crazy stops in the next few days of trial, or the jury just doesn't convict, I'd say Ross is pretty much toast.