Prosecutors Want Ulbricht to Spend Life in Prison

There are conflicting reports on what prosecutors want for Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht.

Yesterday, I reported (via NYT) that Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are seeking a lengthy prison sentence Ross Ulbricht, but not life.

Wired has a different take on what prosecutors want:

Ahead of Ulbricht’s sentencing Friday, prosecutors in his case have sent the judge a 16-page letter asking that Ulbricht be given the maximum possible punishment of life in prison. And one of the reasons for that harsh sentence, the Department of Justice attorneys argue, is to “send a clear message” to anyone who would follow in Ulbricht’s footsteps and create the next Dark Web drug market.

“Ulbricht’s conviction is the first of its kind, and his sentencing is being closely watched,” the prosecution’s letter reads. “The Court thus has an opportunity to send a clear message to anyone tempted to follow his example that the operation of these illegal enterprises comes with severe consequences.”

That deterrence argument is just one in a series of calls for a life sentence made by the prosecution in its letter.

 -RW