Silk Road founder gets life in prison

[Fingers]

Presuming life means life here :-(

The founder of online illegal drug marketplace "The Silk Road", Ross Ulbricht, has been sentenced to life in prison.

Prosecutors say that his dark web site sold more than $200m (£131m) worth of drugs anonymously.

He was found guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking.

The site was shut down in 2013 after police arrested Ulbricht.

In February he was was convicted by a federal court in New York of operating the site for nearly three years from 2011.

Users used the online currency Bitcoin to purchase drugs such as heroin, cocaine and LSD.

The untraceable deals earned him at least $18m.

Prosecutors say that six people who died from overdoses bought drugs via the site.

Rest of story here

 

[phildwyer]

Pour encourager les autres innit.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Pour encourager les autres innit.

Well, it usually is. That's how criminal justice systems work.

 

[phildwyer]

Well, it usually is. That's how criminal justice systems work.

They're not supposed to punish by example.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

They're not supposed to punish by example.

You can decide that the particular circumstances of a crime mean that the penalty should be severe, which implies that the same would apply in future such circumstances. Hence banging up people for nicking bottles of pop in the 2011 riots.

 

[phildwyer]

You can decide that the particular circumstances of a crime mean that the penalty should be severe, which implies that the same would apply in future such circumstances. Hence banging up people for nicking bottles of pop in the 2011 riots.

It's a good indication of which crimes they expect to pose a threat in the near future. Looting and cyber-drug-dealing are it.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

"They". Bloody anarchists.

 

[phildwyer]

"They". Bloody anarchists.

Anyway, looks to me like this guy had no idea what he was getting himself into. Probably saw no difference from selling quarters of weed to his mates, at first anyway.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Anyway, he shilled for his anonymous site using [email protected]. Inexcusable sloppiness.

 

[phildwyer]

Anyway, he shilled for his anonymous site using [email protected]. Inexcusable sloppiness.

He ran a Book Club on his site ffs. Sweet.

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

He tried to hire a hitman to kill some people, didn't he? Fuck him. A nasty cunt.

 

[rich!]

He tried to hire a hitman to kill some people, didn't he? Fuck him. A nasty cunt.

That had all the hallmarks of a dodgy entrapment sting...

 

[ItWillNeverWork]

That had all the hallmarks of a dodgy entrapment sting...

Well either way, he fell for the trap.

 

[Citizen66]

The dark web is all fine and dandy but eventually drugs and profits will appear in meat space where everything ceases being encrypted.

 

[8den]

I think when you ve gotten into dealing to have the point that you're discussing wacking several people,you're no longer selling for friends and are getting into walter white territory

 

[Orang Utan]

Can't say I'm crying real tears over this.

 

[Citizen66]

Transcript of him arranging hits here:

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/read-transcript-silk-roads-boss-ordering-5-assassinations/

All looks a bit high stakes. Do any of those people even exist?

 

[8den]

Transcript of him arranging hits here:

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/read-transcript-silk-roads-boss-ordering-5-assassinations/

All looks a bit high stakes. Do any of those people even exist?

Whether or not they actually exist he's discussing bulk sales of heroin and coke, and looking for someone to kill black mailers/extortionists. As I said above, if you're playing the game at that level (they deal he's discussing is in the region of 50m a year) you're a wannabe Stringer Bell/Avon Barksdale, and the law is going to come down on you like a tonne of bricks.

 

[Citizen66]

Whether or not they actually exist he's discussing bulk sales of heroin and coke, and looking for someone to kill black mailers/extortionists. As I said above, if you're playing the game at that level (they deal he's discussing is in the region of 50m a year) you're a wannabe Stringer Bell/Avon Barksdale, and the law is going to come down on you like a tonne of bricks.

Was my post in disagreement with you or something?

 

[8den]

Was my post in disagreement with you or something?

No not at all. Your post just furthered the point that this guy deserves to be in prison for a very very long time.

It's just the last line of your post, made me think you thought that the person Ulbritcht was speaking to was fake and it was a sting.

 

[SpineyNorman]

Fuck him - hope he dies in prison.

 

[Orang Utan]

he's a noble freedom fighter!

 

[gosub]

Fuck him - hope he dies in prison.

How much you offering to have that sorted?

 

[twentythreedom]

Prohibition

 

[FridgeMagnet]

It is also about the mechanism though—the fact that he was able to do this with such relative ease, and that the tech involved really isn't that obscure, means the authorities are going to be very sure to try to discourage anyone else trying anything similar.

Cracking down on encryption and secure systems for civilians is also a general good for governments and this will be used as justification for more of that I expect, though terrorism and child porn are already used there and buying drugs isn't worse in most people's minds.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

The darknet, you know *spooky music*

 

[Citizen66]

All the 4096 encryption in the world won't save you if you're having the encrypted conversation with the security services.

 

[DotCommunist]

now nobody will be able to buy drugs anymore

 

[Casually Red]

All the 4096 encryption in the world won't save you if you're having the encrypted conversation with the security services.

Which if you're dealing with criminals in the states you generally will be , at one remove or another .

 

[DotCommunist]

there was apparently a silk road sister site for weapons of the shooty nature but it closed down to lack of interest. I suppose selling weapons to a largely US audience is a bit coals to Newcastle. Even if I thought it was secure enough and had wangled some secure address not linked to anyone etc I would not be buying guns off the internet. Not that I want one, but if I did. Not the silkroad.