… at his sentencing next week
Ross Ulbricht, convicted of being the Dread Pirate Roberts, owner and operator of the original Silk Road, is due to be sentenced next Friday. And his family would be happy to see you there.
“It would be good to have some support. I think it’s going to be very difficult,” said Ross’ mother, Lyn, who has campaigned tirelessly on his behalf. It is clearly taking its toll on her and the rest of the family and no wonder – even the “best” outcome is pretty shitty.
“20 years would be a victory, as horrific as that is for all non-violent charges,” says Lyn. “It’s the least she [Judge Forrest] can give him with the mandatory minimums”.
Even though Ulbricht’s lawyer has provided pretty compelling evidence that Silk Road provided habitual drug users with a far safer experience than their usual manner of getting drugs (the same things I pointed out in a blog in 2012, just saying’), the prosecution is pushing for a life sentence. “We hope she’ll see that 20 years of a young man’s life is sufficient,’ says his mother.
Whatever the outcome, his family will be appealing, even if it renders them destitute.
“We are being financially ruined by this and I lie awake at night wondering where we’ll get the money for the appeal,” says Lyn. “So I’m hanging in there, but it’s not the easiest phase of my life”.
Ross Ulbricht’s sentencing hearing details:
Date: May 29
Time: 1 PM
Place: Judge Katherine Forrest’s courtroom, #15A, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, 500 Pearl St., New York, NY.
Info also here, under What’s Next
16 Responses
We should all go. We all should also send the family a few bucks to help with the appeal.
I agree!
I’m doing a student project about Ross and finished filming the other day, during my research i started idolising Ross and he is my hero now, hope Ross comes out of this fine, can’t wait for the outcome of this trial, the anticipation is killing me
He’s guilty, moron. He’ snot coming out of it fine. Way to document shit.
thesmartestracist == Tool, go away please.
@Clyde, this is awesome dude, Upload the Documentary.
Still upset they arrested your friends at the DEA and USSS? Nervous they may snitch on you too?
At last someone has used common sense. He site was a conduit for drug dealers. How could anyone possibly think he was innocent. Why would anyone support him, he is a murderer.by way of his drug dealing. . .
The whole system is corrupt from the ground up.Your politicians, law enforcement and the legal system is a farce. Good luck Ross, hero to some, but a slave to the corporate corrupt fill your pockets prison system..
He just wanted a place where people could safely sell ricin and cyanide. Let’s not forget that he did this not out of some protest against drug laws but rather as a desire for money and fame. Thank goodness he was smart enough to keep journals of all this so we don’t have to guess at any of his motives.
You made a “drug wars are bad” comment in 2012? What a little genius you are.
@credibit: ooh saucer of milk for you little miss catty.
Free ross, you have all my respect mate. Good luck!
‘Terribly sad to see Ross being made an example of in such a cruel and barbaric way – especially given all the behind the scenes nonsense with DEA agents Force and Bridges. At least the rest of the world will know what currently passes as justice in the United States of America. The future will see this case as an example of what utter buffoons those in the business of crime and punishment in the USA are at this moment in history.
Ross’s parents may know this, but since he is a federal inmate, he is financially destitute.
He will be appointed a Federal appeals attorney as soon as he declares he cannot afford one on his own, and that is fine to do right now.
Federal appeal attorneys are of a different caliber than the run-of-the-mill court appointed attorneys. They are generally excellent attorneys.
However, if the attorney assigned to his appeal is less than stellar, they can then tap into any money that may be available from donations that are sure to come in for his support
@do97jdl
The choice of appeals attorney almost doesn’t matter — stick a fork in ’em — Ross is done.
To my mind, nothing is gonna undo the evidence that the Feds gleaned from Ulbricht’s laptop, which they, quite literally, snatched right out of his hands. He was such a complete, utter fool, that he didn’t even sit with his back to the wall.
I’m not saying that there aren’t perhaps some legitimate 4th Amendment issues re: the Icelandic server — what has to be remembered though, is that it was the contents of that laptop that sunk him.