|
Dest
Roller-Derby Coach


Registered: 06/14/09
Posts: 2,444
Last seen: 6 years, 5 months
|
Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request
#19170847 - 11/21/13 03:58 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
http://mashable.com/2013/11/21/ross-ulbricht/
By: Fran Berkman
Quote:
A federal judge rejected the bail application of Ross Ulbricht, 29, who is accused of running the online black market Silk Road under the alias "Dread Pirate Roberts."
U.S. District Judge Kevin Fox made the decision in a Manhattan court room Thursday. The ruling comes despite a recent outpouring of support from Ulbricht's family and friends, who pledged more than $1 million towards a possible bail and wrote letters vouching for his character.
SEE ALSO: Silk Road Reborn: There's a New Dread Pirate Roberts
Fox said he felt there was "clear and convincing evidence" that Ulbricht would pose a danger if he was released, referring to allegations of murder-for-hire brought against Ulbricht. In fact, the Assistant U.S. Attorney Serrin Turner presented four additional instances of murder-for-hire, for which Ulbricht supposedly paid a total of $500,000, on top of the two in the original FBI filings from last month.
"It wasn't just online talk, it wasn't just pretend," Turner said. "Just because it was on the computer doesn't make it any less of a crime."
The prosecution said the FBI has uncovered "a trove" of new evidence against Ulbricht from forensic analysis of his laptop, which agents seized when they arrested him at the Glen Park branch of the San Francisco Public Library on Oct. 1. Ulbricht was logged into Silk Road as "Dread Pirate Roberts" at the time the FBI agents arrested him, Turner said.
The judge also said Ulbricht "has the means to flee." The FBI estimates it has only recovered about a quarter of the roughly $80 million worth of Bitcoin Ulbricht allegedly earned as administrator of Silk Road, according to the prosecution.
Joshua Dratel, Ulbricht's attorney, submitted a memo in support of Ulbricht's bail application earlier this week. In the letter, Dratel aggregates letters of support from Ulbricht's family and friends, identifying 24 people who pledged the bail money.
"He's not going to put his family in the poor house" Dratel said, trying to convince the judge that Ulbricht was not a flight risk.
Ulbricht appeared in court wearing a beige prison uniform. He looked back and gave a brief smile to his family members and friends in the courtroom but otherwise remained stoic and silent during the proceedings.
Ulbricht's supporters recently launched an online fundraising effort, hoping to generate $500,000 to put towards his defense. The "Free Ross Ulbricht" site features the following short video, narrated Ulbricht's friends and family.
In an interview last month, a former college roommate and close friend of Ulbricht portrayed him as an extremely intelligent and affable "hippie" with strong political beliefs and a pronounced sense of ethics.
"He's one of the kindest and most good-natured people I know," Jaspreet Sidhu told Mashable.
Both physics majors, Sidhu attended the University of Texas at Dallas with Ulbricht, who was at the school from 2002 until 2006, according to his LinkedIn page. Ulbricht went on to study material science and engineering in graduate school at Penn State.
The FBI seized Silk Road on the same day as Ulbricht's arrest, but a new black market, also called Silk Road, launched about a month later, bearing nearly identical resemblance to the original.
(-Also featured in article) [
Edited by Dest (11/21/13 04:00 PM)
|
overstand
Stranger



Registered: 02/05/11
Posts: 540
Last seen: 8 years, 9 months
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: Dest]
#19170980 - 11/21/13 04:20 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
Damn! 4 additional murder for hires on top of the two that they already made public! Either the feds have been busy making up bullshit or this guy is one ruthless mass murdering muther fucker. I am curious to see how this plays out.
LOL@ the save Ross video. I wonder if they will accept bitcoin donations
-------------------- “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” - Henry David Thoreau
Edited by overstand (11/21/13 04:24 PM)
|
Chuckfinely
another round for me an my buddy

Registered: 06/27/13
Posts: 628
Last seen: 4 years, 3 months
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: Dest]
#19170983 - 11/21/13 04:20 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
That a terrible shame. I was really hoping he would get a chance to book it
|
shroomer17
Stranger




Registered: 08/31/05
Posts: 516
Loc: Canada
Last seen: 5 years, 2 months
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: Dest]
#19171061 - 11/21/13 04:36 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
The Alleged Founder Of the Silk Road Is Staring Down Four New Contract-Killing Charges
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-alleged-founder-of-the-silk-road-is-staring-down-four-new-contract-killing-charges
Quote:
The saga of Ross Ulbricht just keeps getting stranger.
The 29-year-old self-styled "entrepreneur," arrested last month in connection to the now-shuttered Silk Road online bazaar, was not only denied bail today in New York federal court, but also handed four additional murder-for-hire chages. That brings the grand total of contract killing charges now faced by the man accused of having helmed a $1.2 billion illegal drugs and services marketplace to six.
Forbes is reporting that criminal presecutor Seerin Turner, who delivered an extensive statement to the court, says he compiled a lot of his evidence from a Silk Road server being held by the FBI. Together with information pulled off Ulbricht's laptop, which was seized when Ulbricht was arrested in October as he tapped quietly near the sci-fi racks at a San Francisco libary, Turner made the case that Ulbricht was at one point indeed in talks with a pair of would-be hitmen, one of whom was an undercover agent, to bump off "a witness and a blackmailer," according to Forbes.
But he maybe didn't stop there. Turner went on to accuse Ulbricht of then ordering hits on an associate of the blackmailer plus three people who happened to live with the guy. In a rather curious move, Turner admitted that not a single actual victim has been found in relation to any of the cases. The first—the one with the undercover agent that revolved around one Curtis Green, an otherwise unassuming semi-pro poker player living in Utah—found Ulbricht duped by the Feds, who sent him bogus images of a supposedly-dead (and tortured) Green. In the other five accused plots, the outcomes remain unknown.
Even still, Turner says the evidence is "crystal clear that the defendent intended these murders to happen," according to Forbes.
Turner didn't confine his remarks just to murder-for-hire allegations. He read from a journal of Ulbricht's found on one of his harddrives, offering brief glimpses into the supposed origins and lightbulb-moments behind the Silk Road, which apparently was first called "Underground Brokers". Here's the choice passage:
I began working on a project that had been in my mind for over a year. I was calling it Underground Brokers, but eventually settled on Silk Road. The idea was to create a website where people could buy anything anonymously, with no trail whatsoever that could lead back to them.
He'd have to get the thing off the ground by himself. To hear Turner tell it, Ulbricht's diary also details how he hunkered in an off-the-grib lab, growing "several kilos of psychedelic mushrooms". An unknown amount of this psilocybin would be put up for sale on the fledgling Road, Turner continued. Grease for the wheels.
It gets wilder. Once the marketplace really starting getting traction, once Turner says Ulbricht, who may or may not have operated under the handle Dread Pirate Roberts, found himself wrapped up tighter and tighter in the anonmyous web of murders for hire, might have solicited the Hell's Angels to carry out a few of the killings. Turner read a line from a log of Ulbricht's activities that said he would "commission hit on blackmailers" from user redandwhite—a clear nod, Turner claimed, to the colors of the infamous motorcycle gang.
Whether any of this contains a single kernel of truth remains to be seen. For his part, Judge Nathanial Fox said that in light of "powerful evidence presented to us that the defendent has attempted to secure the murders of a number of people" Ulbricht presents a clear and present flight risk. Fox denied him bail.
The pendulum now swings to Ulbricht's lawyer. Joshua Dratel has made a career out of defending some of the most high-profile terrorists post-9/11, and told the court today that Ulbricht "has never committed a violent act in his life." Ulbricht's mother, Lyn, who along with immediate family and friends hopes to raise $500,000 in one month for Ulbricht's defense fund, echoed that sentiment to reporters post-hearing: "I can tell you he's not a murderer."
According to this he's a former large scale mushroom grower... Add that to the fact the first online post about SR was on the Shroomery and i guess it's pretty clear this guy is a former shroomerite. Pretty cool.
|
Konyap

Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 33,945
Loc: Planet Piss
Last seen: 4 years, 2 months
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: shroomer17]
#19171093 - 11/21/13 04:42 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
this all fits into everyones little MAFIA fantasy
|
Synthe
Gatorade me, bitch!



Registered: 11/10/12
Posts: 7,961
Loc: Three bags of Funyuns
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: overstand]
#19171120 - 11/21/13 04:47 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
But he maybe didn't stop there. Turner went on to accuse Ulbricht of then ordering hits on an associate of the blackmailer plus three people who happened to live with the guy. In a rather curious move, Turner admitted that not a single actual victim has been found in relation to any of the cases. The first—the one with the undercover agent that revolved around one Curtis Green, an otherwise unassuming semi-pro poker player living in Utah—found Ulbricht duped by the Feds, who sent him bogus images of a supposedly-dead (and tortured) Green. In the other five accused plots, the outcomes remain unknown. In fact, the Assistant U.S. Attorney Serrin Turner presented four additional instances of murder-for-hire, for which Ulbricht supposedly paid a total of $500,000, on top of the two in the original FBI filings from last month.
Really? Why would he have three innocent bystanders/roommates of the blackmailer killed? This makes no sense. He would have no clear motive to see them dead, and it would obviously have costed him more money as well, not to mention, they probably hadn't even heard of him.
Therefore, I too suspect that
Quote:
overstand said: the feds have been busy making up bullshit or this guy is one ruthless mass murdering muther fucker
--------------------
|
Niffla



Registered: 06/09/08
Posts: 46,485
Loc: Texas
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: Dest]
#19171178 - 11/21/13 04:56 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
I really don't have any idea how the law/bail situation would work at this level but the idea that he might make bail just seemed...impossible to me. If there ever was a flight risk, this dude was it. Because as soon as he hit the door he would have went on the run. 100%. We all would have in his situation.
There was no way they were gonna let him out.
--------------------
HAIL OUR NEW OTD KING
|
mylfgur
Untitled



Registered: 05/23/10
Posts: 1,282
Loc: Ohio
Last seen: 9 years, 1 month
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: Niffla]
#19171564 - 11/21/13 06:04 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Niffla said: I really don't have any idea how the law/bail situation would work at this level but the idea that he might make bail just seemed...impossible to me. If there ever was a flight risk, this dude was it. Because as soon as he hit the door he would have went on the run. 100%. We all would have in his situation.
There was no way they were gonna let him out.
Indeed.
I also don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that the guy ordered some more hits, though given his hesitance to ordering his hit on his associate, I don't think that these hits were ordered on innocent people. Innocent in the sense of unaffiliated.
However, his lawyer could have a good defense for why Ulbricht is not a "clear and present danger" upon release. He only ordered hits when he thought it was necessary to protect the anonymity of his business, and he obviously doesn't have a business anymore to protect--though that is very likely far more than they are willing to admit at this point.
|
Enlil
OTD God-King




Registered: 08/16/03
Posts: 65,503
Loc: Uncanny Valley
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: mylfgur] 1
#19171626 - 11/21/13 06:16 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
I was actually quite surprised until I found out that he had more murder-for-hire accusations. That kind of shit makes a judge not want to let you out because you're a threat to the community if you're out.
Without those, he'd almost certainly get bail.
-------------------- Censoring opposing views since 2014. Ask an Attorney Fuck the Amish
|
Niffla



Registered: 06/09/08
Posts: 46,485
Loc: Texas
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: mylfgur]
#19171630 - 11/21/13 06:16 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
And another reason I would think for them to not let him out for a second (from their perspective) would be his assets. You know, the "unseized assets". Drug kingpins (and he was a kingpin by definition) are going to have backup assets, briefcases of it possibly, somewhere out there. You know, for rainy days such as these.
When you got dough like that -- it makes it a lot easier to take off. Look at Whitey Bulger, the Boston mob boss who went on the run for 15 years. Bulger supposedly had millions stashed all over the place, even in different states. And when they finally caught him he had 800K in cash hidden in his frickin' wall of his apartment. When you have access to funds like that your options on how to hide increase nearly infinitely.
--------------------
HAIL OUR NEW OTD KING
|
wowwtf
Stranger

Registered: 04/17/09
Posts: 153
Last seen: 7 years, 8 months
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: Niffla]
#19172243 - 11/21/13 07:53 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
The Feds made up the charges to portray him as the big bad wolf. That's how it works they make up a story to portray the "suspect" the "accused" into the devil so that the public jumps on their side. Their side is the one where they portray themselves as the "righteous" "Justice" "Jury" but they are just a Crime Factory which make up crimes and laws that they can sell to the public through fear and ignorance.
Anyone who opposes their Mafia System gets sent to the court where they are judged by the hypocrite state.
|
mylfgur
Untitled



Registered: 05/23/10
Posts: 1,282
Loc: Ohio
Last seen: 9 years, 1 month
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: wowwtf]
#19172383 - 11/21/13 08:02 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
wowwtf said: The Feds made up the charges to portray him as the big bad wolf. That's how it works they make up a story to portray the "suspect" the "accused" into the devil so that the public jumps on their side. Their side is the one where they portray themselves as the "righteous" "Justice" "Jury" but they are just a Crime Factory which make up crimes and laws that they can sell to the public through fear and ignorance.
Anyone who opposes their Mafia System gets sent to the court where they are judged by the hypocrite state.
I'm sure you know everything about the case and you're not making any conjectures here based on some sort of confirmation bias, right?
|
LiquidGlass
Glass Blower


Registered: 07/08/12
Posts: 5,288
Loc: Pee En Double You
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: mylfgur]
#19173134 - 11/21/13 11:54 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Ulbricht was logged into Silk Road as "Dread Pirate Roberts" at the time the FBI agents arrested him
That is pretty incriminating
-------------------- Some art I've made Glass Art Gallery
  I was raised a christian and was a stone-faced acid head - Ken Kesey
|
Dickhead
2 Times

Registered: 01/24/05
Posts: 28,769
Loc: groin
|
Re: Judge Denies Alleged Silk Road Owner's Bail Request [Re: LiquidGlass]
#19175081 - 11/22/13 02:35 PM (10 years, 2 months ago) |
|
|
Ouch.
-------------------- Multiplied
|
|