Fbi slik road full#
Fbi slik road trial#

And that's what he wanted to create, so he thought it was the perfect name.' Ulbricht alluded to Silk Road on his public LinkedIn page, where he discussed his wish to 'use economic theory as a means to abolish the use of coercion and aggression amongst mankind' and claimed, 'I am creating an economic simulation to give people a first-hand experience of what it would be like to live in a world without the systemic use of force.' In his personal diary, he outlined his idea for a website 'where people could buy anything anonymously, with no trail whatsoever that could lead back to them.' Ulbricht's ex-girlfriend said, 'I remember when he had the idea. Around this time, Ulbricht began planning Silk Road (initially called Underground Brokers). Palmertree, cofounder of Good Wagon Books, eventually moved to Dallas, leaving Ulbricht to run the bookseller by himself.

Fbi slik road trial#

Main article: Silk Road (marketplace) § Arrest and trial of Ross Ulbricht Creation and operation of Silk Road

He eventually partnered with his friend Donny Palmertree to help build an online used book seller, Good Wagon Books. He tried day trading and started a video game company both ventures failed. Ulbricht graduated from Penn State in 2009 and returned to Austin. By the time Ulbricht graduated, he had become interested in libertarian economic theory he adhered to the political philosophy of Ludwig von Mises, supported Ron Paul, promoted agorism, and participated in college debates to discuss his economic views. He then attended Pennsylvania State University, where he was in a master's degree program in materials science and engineering and studied crystallography.

Fbi slik road full#

Ulbricht attended the University of Texas at Dallas on a full academic scholarship, and graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in physics. He attended West Ridge Middle School and Westlake High School, both near Austin, graduating from high school in 2002. He was a Boy Scout, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. He is incarcerated at the United States Penitentiary in Tucson. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2017 and the U.S. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In 2015, he was convicted of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, distributing narcotics, distributing narcotics by means of the internet, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to traffic fraudulent identity documents, and conspiracy to commit computer hacking. In 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Ulbricht and Silk Road was taken offline. Ulbricht ran the site under the pseudonym ' Dread Pirate Roberts', after the fictional character from The Princess Bride.

The site operated as a hidden service on the Tor network and facilitated the sale of narcotics and other illegal products and services. Ross William Ulbricht (born March 27, 1984) is an American serving life imprisonment for creating and operating the darknet market website Silk Road from 2011 until his arrest in 2013.