Ulbricht in happier times.
Despite pleas for lenience, the “Darknet pirate” was sentenced to life imprisonment today in New York.
US District Judge Katherine Forrest wasn’t buying it. “Silk Road’s creation showed that you thought you were better than the law,” she said.
Ulbricht was found guilty on seven counts including a so-called “drug kingpin” charge that carries a 20-year minimum sentence. In addition to drug charges, he was convicted of money laundering along with facilitating the sale of fake IDs and computer hacking tools.
During trial, Ulbricht’s lawyer Joshua Dratel suggested someone else, such as Mt. Gox owner Mark Karpeles, was the “real” DPR and that Ulbricht was simply the “fall guy.” The Ulbricht family has maintained his innocence, and his mother has said they would appeal the guilty verdict.
Joe Mullin reports on the downfall of a man who once operated the internet’s largest drug marketplace.