OP_2: Ross Ulbricht
Bitcoin Political Prisoner
Ross Ulbricht is a Bitcoin political prisoner.
He has been in prison since 2013.
Some would prefer we forget him, but Bitcoiners never will.
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Ross was sentenced by the federal government to 2 life sentences + 40 years with no parole.
As a first-time offender and convicted of all non-violent charges.
For what, you may wonder?
Creating a website.
In 2011, he built an e-commerce site named Silk Road.
The idea was to create the first online libertarian free market.
Zero regulations from external authorities.
Maximum privacy and anonymity for users.
The tech stack Ross chose for this task included:
TOR network. A technology making it nearly impossible to trace users' physical locations.
Bitcoin. A then-novel digital currency, decentralized and providing a degree of anonymity. In early 2011, when Ross was building Silk Road, the price of Bitcoin surpassed $1 for the first time in history.
Silk Road started small. Ross was also running a bookstore at the time, so he used its small warehouse to grow magic mushrooms. That was the first product available on Silk Road.
That's how the first and only marketing campaign conducted by Ross started – several posts on forums for shroom enthusiasts.
Then, the growth was purely organic.
But Ross's ambition was not just to build a simple platform. He wanted an equivalent of eBay for illegal goods. Silk Road had a rating system for sellers, a secure payment system (escrow), and a user-friendly interface (by early 2010s standards).
The number of buyers and sellers was rising rapidly, and the variety of goods also increased – mainly illegal substances, but you could find much more, from fake passports to counterfeit bills.
Notably, two product categories were prohibited – guns and cp.
Silk Road had over 1 million registered users, and estimated proceeds exceeded $1.2 billion.
Ross probably never predicted his website would grow this big.
But it did, and it got noticed.
By media worldwide, which raced to write sensational articles about this mysterious site where you can buy anything prohibited.
And by the FBI.
The hunt for Dread Pirate Roberts (owner of Silk Road) began, who turned out to be an ordinary guy and, like an ordinary guy, made several mistakes along the way.
Eventually, it was determined that the man behind the pseudonym was a 29-year-old from Texas, Ross Ulbricht.
One afternoon, during a sting operation, Ross was caught red-handed.
With his open laptop, containing all incriminating evidence.
After running the first underground online marketplace for two years, Ross was arrested.
But, this was just the start of the real media storm surrounding him.
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Ross Ulbricht, a man under thirty and a first-time offender, received double life imprisonment + 40 years without parole, without being convicted of even one violent crime.
Well, at least on paper, since the media largely spotlighted his supposed orders for hitmen when the FBI was trailing him. Even today, many content creators continue to push this narrative. If true, and widely publicized, why isn’t it in his verdict?
Then a book about Ross came out. On the cover, we see a black and white silhouette of a young man accompanied by a big red title “American Kingpin.” We don’t need to delve into its contents. For the majority of the public, it wasn’t about the content – it was about this big, screaming title that imprinted the image of Ross as a super villain captured by heroic FBI agents.
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If that was the media message, maybe it’s worth focusing on the facts that weren’t so eagerly picked up by public opinion.
Let’s look.
Indeed, the evidence from Ross's computer was enough to convict not only him but also several other people – including major sellers, collaborators, and corrupted federal agents involved in the case.
If Ross’s sentence is so severe, surely others received proportional sentences?
Well, no.
The remaining convicted received sentences ranging from several months to several years of imprisonment.
This disproportion can be explained by something unofficially termed – exemplary sentence. Happens when a single individual is punished with an extraordinarily high punishment to deter others from committing similar crimes.
Sounds like a field ripe for significant abuses, but ok. Let’s assume we believe in the infallibility of justice. However, it doesn’t hurt to check. Shortly after Ross, the founder of Silk Road 2.0 was caught and convicted. He was released after 3 years.
Maybe it wasn’t about the Internet marketplace with illegal goods, but about a broader topic – the war on drugs.
Well…
There were times when the war on drugs could justify anything. All it took was Ronald Reagan's Hollywood smile and his wife Nancy's sweet eyes.
Today, we live in the age of the Internet. We simply know more, and knowledge is the best defense against manipulation.
After the closure of Silk Road, dozens of similar drug markets appeared. They operate efficiently to this day, and using them is easier than ever.
Even if Ross created the first one, it was ultimately the market that decided on such a need, and it probably would have appeared sooner or later without Ross's involvement.
Moreover, a detailed analysis of sales on Silk Road (conducted by Carnegie Mellon University) showed that, most likely, if any criminal organization used Silk Road to supply its dealers, it was an extremely marginal case. The vast majority of sales were in the “weed” category, and transactions most often involved a few grams. A few grams of marijuana, which in 2023 is legal in many states and countries around the world (and progressively in an increasing number).
Meanwhile, access to drugs (and I mean drugs drugs like fentanyl, crack, or heroin) on the streets of most major cities is available to anyone who wants it.
Ross and Silk Road have nothing to do with this. And if you haven't heard about the opioid crisis, check it out and verify it against your belief in the infallibility and fairness of the government and the justice system.
Gangs and cartels control the drug market. They are doing well, and small-time sellers on the darknet barely concern them. They continue to enrich themselves, preying on the slave labor of women and children forced into smuggling and distributing drugs. Every mg of cocaine available anywhere in the world is soaked in blood of innocent victims of this process. If you ever let yourself be talked into a party line, this responsibility is on your hands.
In 2013, Amir Taaki, Bitcoin developer and activist, had the following comment: “People want drugs. The drug war is probably a failed war. I want to get rid of cartels. The way to do that is for people to buy their drugs straight from the producer. That's what's cool about things like Silk Road – you can bypass gangs.“
And if you haven't heard about the genesis of the Crack Epidemic and still maintain that Ross's sentence is just, man, I don't even know if I want you to check that out. It might be too big of a shock for you, bro.
***
Meanwhile, Ross?
He's a guy who created a website where people could sell whatever they wanted. And customers, if they wanted, could buy these items anonymously and pay with a then-niche cryptocurrency.
Crypto, you say?
Maybe (but just maybe, and this is purely theoretical) it was all about this cryptocurrency. About the Bitcoin.
If you lived in those times and were aware enough, you might have heard what Bitcoin is. Maybe, hearing about it, you heard that it’s this currency for criminals, used to buy drugs online, launder money, etc.
You could certainly come across statements like:
“Bitcoin (And Other Cryptocurrencies) Will Inevitably Become Tools Of The Rich, Powerful, and Criminal“ E.J. Fagan, Deputy Communications Director at Global Financial Integrity
“There is widespread concern about the Bitcoin system’s possible impact on national currencies, its potential for criminal misuse, and the implications of its use for taxation.” The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
“I urge the regulators to work together, act quickly, and prohibit this dangerous currency from harming hard-working Americans.” Joe Manchin III, United States Senator
Maybe (but just maybe, and this is purely theoretical) Ross's trial had something to do with this new internet phenomenon?
With an asset based on advanced cryptography, which can't be controlled, can't be printed more of, can't be centralized.
An asset which from the beginning has the principle of fair distribution, so much in contradiction with the principles of traditional financial systems.
Its quick legal regulation might have become a priority for state reasons at some point. They just needed a good argument to push their laws through.
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Regardless of whether this was the case or not, we are entering the field of speculation here.
So, calling Ross Ulbricht a Bitcoin political prisoner is also in the realm of speculation.
Simply put – it is clickbait. A clickbait used to make you read into the story of Ross, but not to form an opinion about him (like American kingpin type headlines wanted you to do).
This thread is an invitation to do your own research. Check all the aspects of the case that there wasn’t room to discuss here. Form your own opinion and draw your own conclusions.
It’s also one hell of a fascinating story from the early days of Bitcoin.
But behind this story, there is a real man and a real tragedy. A man who has spent 1/4 of his life in prison for creating a website. A first-time offender, sentenced with only non-violent charges.
A man who, according to the existing judgment, will never have the right to be free again.
A man who was involved in criminal activity for which he has been punished.
A man who, in prison, exhibits exemplary behavior. He consistently undertakes social initiatives (he leads yoga and meditation classes and acts as a mediator for fellow inmates), confirmed by over 150 written testimonials from other prisoners.
A man who, while incarcerated, founded a charity foundation that has donated over $700k to charitable causes.
A man who doesn’t lose the spirit of fight and, with the support of his family and everyone involved in the #FreeRoss movement, submits further appeals to the court.
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Ross Ulbricht has spent 10 years in prison.
He has answered for his misdemeanors.
Justice has been served.
Let’s allow for rehabilitation.
Give him a second chance.
Free Ross.
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Since you’ve made it this far, here are a few things you can do regarding Ross:
Do your own research. Consider Ross’s case independently. Draw your own conclusions.
Familiarize yourself with the content of freeross.org. Sign the petition. Donate.
Spread the word. Share this thread. Write your own. Ensure that people in your environment are aware of this case; allow them to draw their own conclusions.