The Truth About Ross Ulbricht's Appeal
Channel: Derrick Horton
Date: 2016-12-06

FreeRoss.org - As someone who loves bitcoin and voluntary trade, Ross’ case really resonated with me. The bottom line is he didn’t get a fair trial, but there’s hope.
 
There’s a bottomless pit of shocking facts that have come out since the arrest in 2013, but I’ve narrowed it down to only the most critical things you and absolutely everyone around you must know about the Ross Ulbricht case. 

From Day 1, the Feds bent over backwards to prevent the facts from coming forward. Ross has been accused of hosting an honest website, but nothing was honest about the depiction of the silk road in court. Judge kept out all knowledge of bitcoin. The gov't withheld crucial information related to the investigation of the agents through a secret grand jury process in San Francisco, and argued that his client was deprived of a fair trial.
Former Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges confessed that as part of the team investigating the Silk Road anonymous drug market he had secretly stolen around $800,000 worth of bitcoins from the site and placed them in his own account.

Carl Force investigated the Silk Road drug-trafficking as part of a Baltimore-based task force. Force took on additional personalities that weren't authorized by his bosses. Using one called "Death From Above," he tried unsuccessfully to extort Ross Ulbricht, who earlier this year was convicted of being Silk Road boss Dread Pirate Roberts and sentenced to life in prison. In another online persona, "French Maid," Force convinced Ulbricht to pay him for "law enforcement counter-intel."
Information about Force and another corrupt agent was kept out of Ulbricht's Silk Road trial. Force was arrested after that and pled guilty in June.
That murder for hire charge? It’s not a thing.
Brought up during sentencing to justify double-life sentence, but he’s never been convicted on that charge. Even though it’s been sitting idle for years, they haven’t prosecuted it at all -- you would think this would be the far worse crime than running a website!
Ross is a caring, compassionate guy. He’s helping tutor fellow inmates so they can get their GEDs. That’s the kind of guy he is.
In fact, no victims came forward during Ross’ trial to say he had hurt them in any way.
It didn’t stop online drug trade.
Ross Ulbricht made the Silk Road and opened the door to the dozens of marketplaces where people can have pot and other fun things delivered safely to their house as easily as shopping on Amazon. Even though he didn't hurt anybody, Federal agents kidnapped him and threw him in a cage for a double life sentence to send a message to the rest of us.
Silk Road Gave Bitcoin Life
Use of bitcoin clearly correlates with the rise of the silk road’s popularity
Silk Road is still the most common association people have in their minds when they hear about bitcoin
Bitcoin hit its all time high since 2014 today, and it’s there today and growing in part thanks to the start it got on the Silk Road.
It’s been over a year since Ross’ sentencing to double-life
Totally unbalanced punishment vs crime
The only right thing to do is set him free now
It’s gotta be costing them hundreds of millions of dollars so far
For running an honest website?
Whether Ross made the Silk Road or not, websites like it are doing good for the world
War on drugs is bad
Silk Road gives way around prohibition
Alcohol kills far more people a year but pot is illegal. Pot is the most common thing sold on the Silk Road. By far!
It’s impossible to serve two lifetimes
Totally political
life without parole went beyond even the prosecution’s request that the judge impose a sentence “substantially above the mandatory minimum.” In fact, the Southern District of New York, where Ulbricht’s trial occurred, has a reputation for relatively lenient sentencing, with around 75 percent of cases receiving less than federal sentencing guidelines.

Ross didn’t get a fair trial. I have so much hope for this appeal! When the facts are put before the jurors, I believe they will instantly do the right thing and set Ross free.
 Ross is a hero and political prisoner of the drug war. At worst, he ran an honest website. At best, he opened the door to a peaceful marketplace where prohibition had once been. He should be honored and rewarded, and free.
 Larger impact of the case is that if people accept the results of the case as it stands, they have no internet freedom. If someone can be arrested for what other people do on a website you host, there’s no free speech. So we can’t let that stand.
 And the next biggest impact is that we can’t allow the filthy feds to claim the moral high ground in the war on drugs. They’re not just causing victims, they’re doing unthinkable harm to individuals and we can’t let that stand either.