[2015-06-21] DailyMail: The bitcoin drug baron: Mother thought her 'gentle son'

[pawel7777]

The bitcoin drug baron: Mother thought her 'gentle son' was making video games on his laptop... now he's been jailed for life for masterminding Silk Road drug site

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3132773/The-bitcoin-drug-baron-Mother-thought-gentle-son-making-video-games-laptop-s-jailed-masterminding-Silk-Road-drug-site.html

To Lyn Ulbricht, her son was an idealistic graduate, a charity volunteer in shared digs who had so little money he didn’t even own a car.

Thirty-one-year-old Ross liked to spend time away from the trappings of the modern world, living for months at the family eco-tourism business in Costa Rica.

But to US prosecutors, Ross Ulbricht had a very different identity. To them, he was Dread Pirate Roberts, a criminal mastermind who created the notorious Silk Road website selling drugs and laundering money around the world using digital ‘bitcoins’ – a man so dangerous he had hired hitmen to kill rivals.
...

[bryant.coleman]

Another BS media piece which is trying to demonize Ross Ullbricht. He was the admin of a dark market, and not a "drug baron" as given in the article. Also, the article doesn't mention why the "attempt to murder" charges were dropped. In my opinion, they were dropped because the evidence was 100% framed.

[indiemax]

American justice

another reason why not to visit America 

[JJB]

Another BS media piece which is trying to demonize Ross Ullbricht. He was the admin of a dark market, and not a "drug baron" as given in the article. Also, the article doesn't mention why the "attempt to murder" charges were dropped. In my opinion, they were dropped because the evidence was 100% framed.

People sometimes believe what they want to believe. Can you show me proof that Ross was 100% framed because I haven't seen any to suggest that, though of course you clearly want it to be the case. Just like Ross's own mother was arguing that he didn't have anything to do with Silk Road, all the way up until he admitted it he created it to the shock of his parents. And as far as I'm aware the murder charges wern't dropped, they're still pending but there's a different trial for that.

[DooMAD]

I've pretty much blocked the dailyfail from my computer because it's a disgusting gutter-rag for bigoted, backwards, reactionary troglodytes.  I wouldn't read it if you paid me to.  Don't give them the page impressions by clicking on their site.  They don't deserve any attention.  

[PolarPoint]

Criminals do not have to be bearded thugs with tattoos, and unapproachable in real life. Serial killers can be kind to neighbours and cyber criminals need not be a nerd. You can't tell criminals by appearance, especially by their mothers.

Chat log was submitted as evidence where DPR was offering financial gains to an undercover cop if someone would disappear. Is that hiring a hitman is up for discussion but I think that conversation took place. DPR was not framed, entrapment may be.

[bryant.coleman]

Can you show me proof that Ross was 100% framed because I haven't seen any to suggest that, though of course you clearly want it to be the case.

It is not my responsibility to give the proof. It is your responsibility to provide the necessary evidence, when you are charging him with attempt to murder. Else, tomorrow I can say that you murdered someone and it will be your responsibility to prove that I am wrong. Imagine what will happen if people are allowed to raise unsubstantiated claims, which can destroy someone's life.

[Finchy]

Can you show me proof that Ross was 100% framed because I haven't seen any to suggest that, though of course you clearly want it to be the case.

It is not my responsibility to give the proof. It is your responsibility to provide the necessary evidence, when you are charging him with attempt to murder. Else, tomorrow I can say that you murdered someone and it will be your responsibility to prove that I am wrong. Imagine what will happen if people are allowed to raise unsubstantiated claims, which can destroy someone's life.

They have the necessary evidence from what I gather, sounds like you just don't want to believe it. The undercover officers snared him, there's the chatlogs and the fact he sent money to the undercover officers to do the murder. I'm not saying there weren't any dirty tricks by the feds involved, but Ross clearly is no angel. I think he  got too big for his boots and too comfortable being an anonymous darknet druglord where he thought he was safe to do anything he wanted.

[Kprawn]

I have a couple of people working with me, who live in areas where gangsters are doing their business from their own houses. The police and law enforcement know where they stay and what they do, but they do very little.

When the Police raid these houses {Normally when someone innocent was killed in the cross-fire} you find that the mother and father and kids deny having ANY knowledge of their kids operation.

The Gangs use underage children to do the drug running and the killings, because they get smaller sentences and in some countries are exempted from the death penalty for murder.

I am not saying this is the case with Ross's mother, but I find it very difficult to believe that they knew nothing about this at all. If it is true, I feel very sorry for her.. it cannot be easy for a mother to be in such a position.

[Finchy]

I am not saying this is the case with Ross's mother, but I find it very difficult to believe that they knew nothing about this at all. If it is true, I feel very sorry for her.. it cannot be easy for a mother to be in such a position.

Lol, there's a difference between latio gangsters in poverty stricken areas and middle aged middle class rich white women in the suburbs. She had no idea what he was doing. He was operating a dark net market from the comfort of his own home, why would she know anything? It's not something you would tell your parents or anyone else for that matter. Most mothers of hackers or cyber criminals wont know what their children get up to and think the world of them or that they couldn't possibly be involved in anything shady or whatever.

[Bit_Happy]

I have a couple of people working with me, who live in areas where gangsters are doing their business from their own houses. The police and law enforcement know where they stay and what they do, but they do very little.

When the Police raid these houses {Normally when someone innocent was killed in the cross-fire} you find that the mother and father and kids deny having ANY knowledge of their kids operation.

The Gangs use underage children to do the drug running and the killings, because they get smaller sentences and in some countries are exempted from the death penalty for murder.

I am not saying this is the case with Ross's mother, but I find it very difficult to believe that they knew nothing about this at all. If it is true, I feel very sorry for her.. it cannot be easy for a mother to be in such a position.

Someone like (for example) Bernie Madoff's sons probably knew what daddy was doing and lied later. Ross's mother could very well have known nothing at all about Silk Road.

[pawel7777]

I have a couple of people working with me, who live in areas where gangsters are doing their business from their own houses. The police and law enforcement know where they stay and what they do, but they do very little.

When the Police raid these houses {Normally when someone innocent was killed in the cross-fire} you find that the mother and father and kids deny having ANY knowledge of their kids operation.

The Gangs use underage children to do the drug running and the killings, because they get smaller sentences and in some countries are exempted from the death penalty for murder.

I am not saying this is the case with Ross's mother, but I find it very difficult to believe that they knew nothing about this at all. If it is true, I feel very sorry for her.. it cannot be easy for a mother to be in such a position.

Someone like (for example) Bernie Madoff's sons probably knew what daddy was doing and lied later. Ross's mother could very well have known nothing at all about Silk Road.

She probably knew as much as he was willing to tell her, and I don't see anyone would be willing to share with his mom that he helps people to buy/sell drugs and weapons over the internet etc.

[Kakmakr]

He did not just fool his own family, his closest friend René Pinnell, who lived with Ulbricht in San Francisco also did not know what he was doing. It looks like he told them that he was trading Bitcoin online.
His grandmother said, "He was good with computers." He is in no way not guilty and the people around him looks to be oblivious to his online operations.

[Carlton Banks]

They have the necessary evidence from what I gather, sounds like you just don't want to believe it. The undercover officers snared him, there's the chatlogs and the fact he Dread Pirate Roberts sent money to the undercover officers to do the murder.

FTFY

The whole point is that no proof exists that Ulbricht was the person using the Dread Pirate Roberts login at that point in time. It is equally possible that the undercover FBI/SS agents were using that login, or even someone else entirely.

[gogxmagog]

Most parents have no idea of what their kids get up to, online or anywhere else. Nothing new there.
Also most parents will refuse to accept their children are even capable of doing anything untoward even when unrefutable proof is shoved right in their face.
I don't think DPR's mothers opinion matters here. Just a manipulative human interest piece... "Do you know where your children are?"