Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht sentenced to life in prison
Despite Ross Ulbricht's emotional plea for leniency in court today, Judge Katherine Forrest has sentenced him to life in prison. He was facing a minimum of 20 years up to the maximum life sentence after he was found guilty of money laundering, narcotics trafficking and computer hacking. Under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts," Ulbricht was the czar of Silk Road, an online drug marketplace that netted him an $18 million fortune. It was anonymized by the Tor network and used Bitcoins to hide transactions.
Prior to passing sentence, the judge heard passionate pleas from both parties, with Ulbricht hoping Forrest would give him "a chance to redeem myself in the free world before I meet my maker." Prosecutors, meanwhile, demanded a life sentence, calling him the "kingpin of a worldwide digital drug-trafficking enterprise" and pointing out that he tried to hire a hitman on multiple occasions.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
