ROSS ULBRICHT GUILTY OF CONSPIRACY TO TRAFFIC DRUGS

Just heard it breaking on the radio, after three hours of deliberation, ross will not be free

edit: From Bloomberg http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-04/ross-ulbricht-convicted-of-running-silk-road-as-dread-pirate

(Bloomberg) -- The founder of the Silk Road website faces life in prison for running an underground Internet emporium that catered to hackers and drug traffickers. Ross Ulbricht, 30, a San Francisco web developer who used the moniker "Dread Pirate Roberts" offered people the chance to anonymously buy the illegal merchandise and services by using bitcoins. On Wednesday, a jury took about 3 1/2 hours to find him guilty.

edit2: Ross was found guilty of all charges, according to CNBC


Comments


[150 Points] albion70:

Let's be real, there was never really a chance he was walking free from this - not with that defence strategy, and not with that jury. The case was a slam dunk for the prosecution, whether you believe he's guilty or not.


[58 Points] beefshoe:

He should've copped a plea. Oh well, at least now the internet is safe from illegal activity.


[48 Points] Pillsbury1:

Ready for a movie version starring James Franco


[44 Points] A_box_in_a_cage:

Well at least he wrote the final guide to 'what not to do'. Always contributing, that kids a peach! I plan to continue writing him and sending commissary out of respect for his sacrifice, but of all the things he taught the community I think the lessons of This trial are the most valuable. May it never be this easy for them to land a conviction again.


[27 Points] trenulous:

lol the only people who thought he wouldn't be convicted were his parents and people on here to high to realize facts when they see them. I read the transcript of a trail days. Guy was 100% guilty with out a shadow of a doubt.

The defense was so lame cant believe people here assumed it was actually some kinda credible explanation. Oh yeas he got hacked or he sold the site lol...uh yea


[17 Points] None:

peace out cub scout


[16 Points] anti_body:

:( wow is it just me or did that verdict happen FAST


[13 Points] Jay-__:

I don't want to sound like Ross had that much of a chance, but IMO what Dratel showed wasn't worth anywhere close to (supposed) 35.000$/week.


[10 Points] None:

This was expected....at least by me.. .still sucks tho...


[10 Points] None:

[deleted]


[10 Points] pacoreporter:

It's crazy to realize that anyone could had search Google for Jan-Feb 2011 and found that first SR mention from Altoid. Then just looked at his posts and see his job offering in Oct-11 with his full name listed. In 2013, anyone could had sent that to him and easily got $1 million in bitcoin.

Hell, he could had even gotten the idea for the SR from the Heroin Store thread he first posted in. The thread was 6 months old.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=175.msg42670#msg42670

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=47811.msg568744#msg568744


[9 Points] None:

May is sentencing


[5 Points] None:

In case anyone wants to work on the case on a deeper level or witness the evidences herself I created a BittorrentSync archive with everything I could find so far.

Add the following key to you BittorrentSync Client to start downloading it.

BDFSNJ5EHAPKH5AWZOZ7NQEMCU4TVIXGO

At them moment the archive is not in the best shape. I just downloaded everything immediately and put it in the directories. There are most certainly duplicates. If somebody wants to help me to get this in a better from and is somehow reliable you can get read & write key.

By the way: Can anyone help me to grab the complete court transcripts from here or point me to the files? https://www.capa.net/


[6 Points] SirScrublord:

Any idea what his expected sentence will be


[7 Points] None:

My dad earlier today "Your silk rod boy got convicted on all charges" Me: Fuck!!


[5 Points] goingpoostal:

So is he going to Mike Tyson prison or Martha Stewart prison?


[4 Points] CumberlandGap:

http://youtu.be/R7m5Int1hAA?t=33s


[5 Points] Einsteins_Lovechild:

He wasn't charged with the offense that motivated the federal law enforcement machine to overcome its lethargic bloated inertia and bring its full weight down upon one kid operating a website that other people used for commerce: making the government look ineffectual and foolish.

No doubt the cable news circus has ex-prosecutor talking head experts gloating about this. I wonder how many will mention the size of the combined darknet market economy now compared to October 2013 when the Feds ended it?


[3 Points] IMightBeDEA:

This was expected. I believe Dratel was trying to set the stage for a post-conviction appeal. Don't think this is over yet. We'll see more of Ulbricht's case sooner or later, once Dratel gets his shit together for an appeal. Hopefully this will bring Ross a lighter sentencing.


[2 Points] pinkpanther227:

I'm really surprised. /s


[2 Points] vaultboy7:

From what I've read the defense didn't properly challenge the legitimacy of the Iceland server evidence. There was an attempt made to throw out the server but the judge shot it down. The apparent reason for this, if I understand it correctly (I'm no legal expert and don't claim to be), is that Ulbricht didn't have proper standing to contest the legality of how the server was discovered. In order to establish standing he would have had to admit that the server was his. Because this wasn't done the court basically said 'well, if it isn't your server then it's none of your business how it was discovered.' Even though it was a huge part of the prosecution's evidence against him.

What I don't get is why the defense didn't admit the server was his in order to have it tossed from the case. Supposedly the jury wouldn't have heard that admission unless the defendant testified himself, something he was never planing to do anyway.

I think that perhaps Ulbricht was advised to admit the server was his to properly challenge the evidence, but unwisely refused to do so leaving his defense to use the wrong reasons for contesting it leading to failure. That or his attorney is incompetent or worse deliberately gave him a substandard defense for reasons unknown. Whatever is behind this lapse I sincerely hope he gets another trial and gets acquitted on all or at least some of the charges.


[2 Points] toastedjelly_:

Sad. Sad. Sad.

Maybe if DPR had hired some politico lobbyists and donated his appropriate millions and millions of dollars towards the proper channels (Washington, D.C.) he would be heralded as a tech wiz or budding entrepreneur. Instead and because our justice system has such a bullshit, backwards PAY TO PLAY mentality in place, he will most likely be spending the rest of his days behind bars.

It's fucked up.

Pfizer, Amgen, Novartis, Merck and all the others learned this long ago. You can rob a population of everything it has. Tangible ($) and intangible (addiction) and do it happily with a smile on if you go about things the RIGHT way. You can even advertise your drugs on prime-tv. Have celebrity endorsements and ridiculous sponsorships to boot all the while stuffing your product down peoples throats. AS LONG AS YOU ARE PAYING EVERYONE TO SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET YOU DO SO.

Now I am just getting angry.... :/


[2 Points] shitterplug:

He was found guilty of a crime he committed!? Holt shit!


[2 Points] None:

No duh, anyone thinking he wasn't going to do prison time is an asshole.


[2 Points] friendofstranger:

Well where are the people from the past 1+ year who said Ross snitched on all the mods and even vendors who got busted, in order to get himself off the hook?

I believe his gross negligence, by keeping dox/unencrypted, led to those arrests from having basically unrestricted access to his logged in laptop/admin/other accounts

But it seems to me from his denial and lack of cooperation, that he probably didn't snitch, or "sing like a bird" as dpr2/defcon used to slam him for.

Correct me if I'm wrong or missed something


[1 Points] BaileyJayOFFICIAL:

:-(


[1 Points] thenarrrowpath:

Sad day


[1 Points] amerett0:

Is the precedent of this ruling any implication that the FBI's less-than-legal, clandestine tactics to discover the location of the servers are above the individual's constitutional freedoms? And that regardless of your ambitious intention to create an unregulated economic platform as long as that marketplace sells beans versus cocaine is and will not be contested (ie. legal/illegal black/white? The biggest question out of all of this is will we continue to allow our personal freedoms to be eroded by the institution, the Government, to simply justify whatever they say and do cannot be wrong.

In-depth analysis of the technical details and lack of legal basis behind FBI's discovery of Silk Road's servers

IMO Best article that sums up the entire case

TL;DR : This most-unfortunate ruling protects the Government's ability to continue their hidden tactics that supercede individual rights.

EDIT: grammar, article citations, clarifications


[1 Points] cj5:

Yup, so send all the hacker boys to prison for life, while all the other dregs of society come and go from county jail. I hate this motherfuckin' country and all it's deranged bullshit!


[1 Points] Oldwisewoman:

U know I just realized that Sad Ross must listen to Coldplays "Viva La Vida" lyrics. Honestly theyre pretty accurate to his situation "..I used to rule the world, seas would rise when i gave the world. now every morning i sleep alone, sweep the streets i used to own." Damn.. he had it all. At the height of his wealth, SR + his personal stash he was close to a billion dollars. Now he might never see freedom. this is fucking depressing. man fuck that RAT STICH bitch who snitched him out and let that fed take her account over.. what the fuck dude


[1 Points] MrCrappy57:

I'm so ashamed and sick of my government right now. Funny, I used to consider myself a patriot. I understand it's complicated, but I just think this is wrong. This isn't justice. Something is terribly wrong with our system. I grieve for America today. We must end this insane war on drugs.


[0 Points] SecondChanceUsername:

everyone who's not locked up this time next year will regroup and talk shit about Blake. #freerossulbrict


[-1 Points] Derkek:

What were the charges?


[-1 Points] None:

"I'ma speak clearly 'cause I don't think they hearin' me A nigga only fear's gettin' charged with conspiracy" - Jadakiss


[-1 Points] SmokeMethInhalesatan:

This just mad me pretty sad actually :(


[-8 Points] None:

[deleted]


[-11 Points] CDRCRDS:

At least he can pursue his next endeavor...butt hole surfing.

Pretty sure his butt hole will be surfed too.