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Ross Ulbricht, the mind behind the notorious online marketplace Silk Road, has now completed ten years of his double life sentence handed down by U.S. authorities in 2013.
Ulbricht shared his reflections on October 2, revealing the challenges of a life that may be entirely spent in confinement. Notably, he voiced hope, wishing for some semblance of mercy.
Silk Road debuted in 2011 and was managed by Ulbricht via a laptop. He used the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts" to conduct business. Distinctively, this online marketplace, believed to be the earliest darknet market, was rooted in Bitcoin-based transactions.
In a significant move on October 1, 2023, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation took possession of Ulbricht's laptop.
Two years post his arrest, in 2015, a U.S. federal court found Ulbricht guilty of several charges linked to the Silk Road's operations. His penalty is two life terms, an added forty years, and no shot at parole.
Court files disclosed that between February 2011 and July 2013, Silk Road oversaw sales totaling 9,519,664 Bitcoin. The platform's cut is 600,000 Bitcoin. At the point when these figures were made public, they translated to sales of roughly $1.2 billion and commissions nearing $80 million.
There's been significant chatter about Ulbricht's case. Many have rallied behind him, pleading for leniency. To quantify, over 250 entities and more than half a million individuals have shown their support via a virtual petition. Notably, the cryptocurrency and Bitcoin sectors are vocal supporters.
But it's not all one-sided. Some highlight the darker aspects of Silk Road. One individual underlined the allegations that Ulbricht might have commissioned hits on certain individuals – a charge not officially levied against him. Another underscored illicit activities on Silk Road, pinpointing instances like drug deals and sex trafficking.
Online discussions intensify. Supporters of Ulbricht juxtapose the Silk Road with popular platforms like Facebook, drawing parallels in the nature of content and activities.
A notable website advocating for Ulbricht's release has drawn attention to the sentencing disparities among Silk Road affiliates. They indicate that the harshest punishment other than Ulbricht's was a mere seven-year term.
More startlingly, the brains behind Silk Road 2.0 have served minimal to no jail time and are now out in the open.
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