Ross Ulbricht, the alleged `Dread Pirate Roberts´, was suddenly transferred to another location on Thursday. The move happened without warning or notice. Family members went to pay him a visit, and they discovered he was no longer at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.
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Soon after the family realized what happened, they tweeted Ross was no longer there. It took until the next day before they realized he was being transferred to another correctional unit. Ross finally called and let them know he was being moved. The tweet read: “Ross called. So happy to hear from him. He’s at OK City Fed’l Transfer Ctr being designated to a prison. He’s in good spirits.”
A followup tweet illustrated the family’s concern for Ross, suggesting that he could be moved to a more violent or dangerous prison.
Scary thing now: what prison will they send #RossUlbricht to? Many r violent, dangerous. Needs to be at a prison w/ a safe yard. #FreeRoss
— Free_Ross (@Free_Ross) July 6, 2017
A Brief History of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road
For anyone who is unfamiliar with the case — and why it is important for many in the bitcoin community — Ross was arrested in San Francisco on October 1, 2013, for allegedly running the online darknet marketplace called Silk Road. He was accused of being the Dread Pirate Roberts, the individual/individuals who created and managed the business.
Potential customers accessed the page via a TOR browser and purchased everything from drugs to raw milk, and jewelry. Most transactions took place using bitcoin. However, certain transactions were disallowed. These off-limit items included child pornography, assassination markets, and solicitation of stolen goods.
Freeross.org read, “The Silk Road website was an open market with few restrictions and permitted vendors to sell drugs and other illegal goods as well as legal ones, including art, books, raw milk and clothing. It forbade items that the administration considered victimizing, including child pornography, stolen goods and assassinations. Nothing but drug sales was allowed to be mentioned before the jury.”
After the arrest and subsequent trial, Ross was convicted for running the website, even though the case was complex and involved corruption from Federal Agents. Ross was handed two life sentences. The charges were all drug-related. He was not convicted for committing a violent crime, though. There was also suspicion he may have not been the acting “Dread Pirate Roberts.”
Do you believe what happened to Ross was wrong? Will he eventually be pardoned and released from prison? Let us know in the comments below.
Images via fee.org and independent.co.uk
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