Ross Ulbricht has been charged with narcotics trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering. He refutes the claims that he is Silk Road's mastermind, also known as 'Dread Pirate Roberts' and he is currently fighting to prove his innocence.
I spoke with a number of prominent names in the bitcoin space about whether they think Ulbricht would be widely viewed as a bitcoin martyr or the ultimate cryptocurrency villain if found guilty. Here's what they said:
When asked whether their views of Ulbricht were positive or negative, members of the bitcoin community were keen to share their views on Twitter:
@emilyspaven disagree with his politics but that's outweighed by how unfairly maligned / slandered he was by the FBI— Crypto Cuttlefish (@cuttlefish_btc) October 2, 2014
@emilyspaven negative. It's probably mainly a result of the causal murder for hire thing.— Gary Broadfield (@GaslanB) October 2, 2014
@emilyspaven @coindesk negative. Played fast and loose with law and now cries help me, help me. Stop manipulating people and deal w/ it— Rob Jackson (@rcjackson) October 2, 2014
@emilyspaven just ask @FreeTalkLive he either made black market safer or he's innocent.— Kevyn Levine (@kevynlevine) October 2, 2014
@emilyspaven positive. The #blackmarket only exists because of unethical state sanctions on #freetrade. He made the black market safer— Shane Harris (@ShaneHarris55) October 2, 2014
@emilyspaven @LionOfNarnia Positive. Bringing choice, competition quality and ease to markets of huge demand and crappy supply (stupid laws)— Chris Gallop (@peanutsrevenge) October 2, 2014
@peanutsrevenge @emilyspaven IF 'DPR' very +ve, same reasons as Chris. If not, more so for his quiet dignity in face of fed persecution.— The Lion (@LionOfNarnia) October 2, 2014
@emilyspaven Regarding Silk Road, Ross is either innocent, or he invented a new safer way to get and use drugs. Murder-for-Hire? waiting2see — FreeTalkLive (@FreeTalkLive) October 2, 2014As mentioned previously, Ulbricht is denying the charges against him and is, therefore, innocent until proven guilty. Share your views in the comments below.
This article is part of CoinDesk’s Silk Road: One Year On series. Keep checking back for new additions to the series.