Officials recently transferred alleged Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht to a maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado. The prison houses some of the most violent offenders. This news surfaced after a court denied his recent appeal. He is now in the process of petitioning the appeal with the Supreme Court. The courts locked Ulbricht in a cage four years ago yesterday. He is serving a double life sentence.
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Ross’s mother, Lyn Ulbricht, talked about the unfolding situation in a recent article. She said, “Today marks four years that Ross Ulbricht has been incarcerated. He was recently moved from New York to USP-high Florence, Colorado, a maximum-security prison where the Bureau of Prisons puts its most violent offenders. This is not because Ross is violent, but because of his excessive sentence of double life plus 40 years, without parole.”
Ross Has No History of Violence
Ulbricht being moved to the Colorado facility concerns the family. The court sentenced him for a nonviolent crime, yet Judge Katherine Forrest believed he was a dangerous and violent criminal. According to Lyn Ulbricht, people wrote the judge 100 letters vouching for Ulbricht’s peaceful nature. It did not matter. Ulbricht’s mother elaorated:
Ross’ designation score, which the BOP uses to place people, is a 12. Even including the charges, that score is so low that it places Ross in a low security prison with non-violent people. He scores one point up from a camp – which has no fences. But because of the sentence issued by Judge Katherine Forrest he is in a USP with violent gangs.
Now, as Ross sits in the maximum security prison, he is preparing to appeal the recent decision made by the 2nd circuit.
Supreme Court Appeal Petition and Brief Overview of the Silk Road
Ublricht’s mother believes this process will continue to shine light on the abuses wrought by the system, especially regarding the kangaroo court her son received.
She said, “It is Ross’ hope — and ours– that this and his case will shine a light on the rampant abuses in our criminal justice system and the misery the drug war is inflicting (while not curtailing drug use at all). This is our aim, not just for Ross, but for the multiple thousands of people and their families whose lives are being destroyed.”
For bitcoiners unfamiliar with the case, the government believed Ross Ulbricht ran one of the earliest and most popular dark web markets, the Silk Road. It was a free market experiment where people could purchase all sorts of goods with bitcoins using a tor browser. It worked well for several years. The feds eventually infiltrated it and hunted for its creator. They arrested Ulbricht on allegations he was their man. Nonetheless, many similar dark web marketplaces have cropped up in its wake, with more emerging everyday.
What do you think about them moving Ulbricht to a maximum security prison with violent offenders? Let us know in the comments section below.
Images courtesy of Shutterstock and Lyn Ulbricht
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