How far did he go?
So as a result of running the drug bazaar called Silk Road, where did Ross Ulbricht wind up with his efforts to forcibly legalize drugs and simultaneously remove God from His throne and take over the throne for himself?
What did he get for his efforts? The feds claim he had tens of millions of dollars in his personal accounts.
(This is part 6 of a discussion of Silk Road, as described in, American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road, written by Nick Bilton. Check out parts one, two, three, four and five, if you wish.)
He ran a web site at which he knowingly sold to anyone who could pay:
- pot,
- coke,
- heroin,
- many varieties of synthetic drugs,
- equipment & supplies to manufacture drugs,
- automatic weapons,
- grenades,
- rocket launchers,
- body parts, including but not limited to:
- livers,
- kidneys,
- bone marrow,
- deadly poisons,
- counterfeit identification,
- counterfeit currency,
- keystroke loggers,
- spoofing software,
- sundry hacking tools, and
- fake passports.
He also contracted for and paid for what he thought was the murder of five people who offended him.
Let that sink in – the book says he contracted for what he believed were multiple murders. He believed sufficiently strongly that the hits had been carried out that he paid for the services. Five times.
Where did he wind up?
So, where is he now?
Federal prison.
On two counts (#2 and #4) he was sentenced to life imprisonment. For the other counts, he was sentenced to an additional 40 years.
At sentencing, the judge reminded Mr. Ulbricht that there is no parole in the federal system. A life sentence runs until you are dead.
He will be eligible for release 40 years after he dies.
A hint of what maximum security prison looks like
He isn’t in the stereotypical ‘club fed’ either. No, he is in maximum security. Sits in his cell 23 hours a day.
For an hour of exercise, he is shackled hands and feet, then shuffles off to a roof-top area where he can get fresh air and sunshine.
According to the book, the exercise area has steel bars across the top, partially blocking the sun and view. This is to prevent things like his compatriot Vanity Jones from swooping in with a helicopter for a dramatic rescue and pulling him off the room.
He is in a cage even during his exercise. That will be his routine for the rest of his life.
Continued in part 7.