8 ms·

He did pay for murders. It doesn't matter if it was behind a computer or not.

by _vn5r 9y ago

blazespin 9y ago
There were better murders. He's paying for all the drug trade he facilitated. Given the current opiod crisis, maybe he deserves it. Maybe a few drug company ceos deserve it too.
- Hydraulix989 9y ago
  I haven't been following this closely. Was he actually charged for anything murder related?
  - kinghajj 9y ago
    No, he wasn't. Everyone keeps parroting the FBI's claim without any evidence. I strongly suspect the entire murder-for-hire story was either completely fabricated, or construed to kill any sympathy there may be for him in the public eye.
    - Hydraulix989 9y ago
      "I strongly suspect the entire murder-for-hire story was either completely fabricated, or construed to kill any sympathy there may be for him in the public eye." Incredible.
      - na85 9y ago
        >Incredible. Penetrating insight.
    - eli 9y ago
      That motive doesn't really make sense. A huge conspiracy to frame someone for a crime who was already going to get life?
    - andylei 9y ago
      You are wrong Here's the indictment: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/releases/2013/131002baltimore.pdf https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/releases/2013/131002baltimor... That indictment is referenced here: http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/doc/15-1815_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/hilite/ http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15... at footnote 15
  - pcthrowaway 9y ago
    Charged but not convicted.
yourapostasy 9y ago
It likely wasn't the solicitation for murder that brought on the eye-popping sentencing (and that solicitation charge didn't make it into the final proceedings from what I read), but the entire stack of charges, but that is just my guess. This looks a lot like "throwing the book" at Ulbricht to "make an example" out of him, and try to clamp down on darknet activities. I'm not clear on the wisdom of this approach, as it seems as if it only encourages future darknet participants to increase opsec and "play for keeps", but as I'm just an outside observer, I'll defer to the judgement of the involved prosecutors and law enforcement who are much closer to the details. Would be fascinated to hear from others who follow this much more closely, and their thoughts on why Ulbricht got such a long sentence.
- andylei 9y ago
  he got a long sentence because the court followed the federal sentencing guidelines [1], determined that his offense level was 50 which maps to life in prison. the court could have chosen a lesser sentence, but they determined that he tried to have 5 people killed to protect his criminal enterprise, which they didn't look too kindly upon. its all in the appeal [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_Sentencing_Guidelines#Sentencing_table https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_Sentenci... [2] http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/doc/15-1815_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/hilite/ http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15...
greggh 9y ago
That charge was dropped. It was never brought to court, and he was not found guilty of that. The murder for hire charges were just to make everyone agree with them, it was about opinion, not truth.
- tptacek 9y ago
  "That charge" (there are in fact several of them) wasn't "dropped": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14457569 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14457569

He did pay for murders. It doesn't matter if it was behind a computer or not.

by _vn5r 9y ago

He did pay for murders. It doesn't matter if it was behind a computer or not.

There were better murders. He's paying for all the drug trade he facilitated. Given the current opiod crisis, maybe he deserves it. Maybe a few drug company ceos deserve it too.

Hydraulix989 9y ago
I haven't been following this closely. Was he actually charged for anything murder related?
- kinghajj 9y ago
  No, he wasn't. Everyone keeps parroting the FBI's claim without any evidence. I strongly suspect the entire murder-for-hire story was either completely fabricated, or construed to kill any sympathy there may be for him in the public eye.
  - Hydraulix989 9y ago
    "I strongly suspect the entire murder-for-hire story was either completely fabricated, or construed to kill any sympathy there may be for him in the public eye." Incredible.
    - na85 9y ago
      >Incredible. Penetrating insight.
  - eli 9y ago
    That motive doesn't really make sense. A huge conspiracy to frame someone for a crime who was already going to get life?
  - andylei 9y ago
    You are wrong Here's the indictment: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/releases/2013/131002baltimore.pdf https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/releases/2013/131002baltimor... That indictment is referenced here: http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/doc/15-1815_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/hilite/ http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15... at footnote 15
- pcthrowaway 9y ago
  Charged but not convicted.

yourapostasy 9y ago

It likely wasn't the solicitation for murder that brought on the eye-popping sentencing (and that solicitation charge didn't make it into the final proceedings from what I read), but the entire stack of charges, but that is just my guess. This looks a lot like "throwing the book" at Ulbricht to "make an example" out of him, and try to clamp down on darknet activities. I'm not clear on the wisdom of this approach, as it seems as if it only encourages future darknet participants to increase opsec and "play for keeps", but as I'm just an outside observer, I'll defer to the judgement of the involved prosecutors and law enforcement who are much closer to the details. Would be fascinated to hear from others who follow this much more closely, and their thoughts on why Ulbricht got such a long sentence.

andylei 9y ago
he got a long sentence because the court followed the federal sentencing guidelines [1], determined that his offense level was 50 which maps to life in prison. the court could have chosen a lesser sentence, but they determined that he tried to have 5 people killed to protect his criminal enterprise, which they didn't look too kindly upon. its all in the appeal [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_Sentencing_Guidelines#Sentencing_table https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Federal_Sentenci... [2] http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/doc/15-1815_opn.pdf#xml=http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15a-40e0-be91-bde1c83676dd/1/hilite/ http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/isysquery/b4f95197-e15...

greggh 9y ago

That charge was dropped. It was never brought to court, and he was not found guilty of that. The murder for hire charges were just to make everyone agree with them, it was about opinion, not truth.

tptacek 9y ago
"That charge" (there are in fact several of them) wasn't "dropped": https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14457569 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14457569