Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have formally charged Ross Ulbricht, the alleged mastermind of the notorious Silk Road online drug market, that he is the driving force behind a large businessς tradingof drugs, drug smuggling, hacking, and WRITTEN »THE WOODWORKING - THE OWNER .
The four categories were announced in a new indictment on Tuesday by the US Attorney of the Southern District of New York.
Perhaps it is surprising that there was no category related to the six murders that federal agents wanted Ross Ulbricht to have committed. The original indictment wanted Ross Ulbricht to have ordered murderers to pay two murders, a number that rose later.
However, Ross Ulbricht faces a new charge, that of "ongoing criminal enterprise," which is usually imposed on leaders of organized crime.
The new charge could result in a minimum sentence of imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment. The conspiracy charge "could possibly send him to prison for life, or at least 10 years. The other two categories will carry shorter sentences: up to 5 years for piracy and a maximum of 20 years for money laundering.
In a statement to Forbes, Ulbricht's lawyer Joshua Dratel said the new indictment "contained no new factual charges" and that Ulbricht would plead not guilty.
