Ross Ulbricht
| Ross William Ulbricht | |
|---|---|
Ulbricht's photograph from his passport, which was submitted as evidence in his trial.
|
|
| Born |
March 27, 1984 Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Dread Pirate Roberts |
| Alma mater |
University of Texas at Dallas (B.S. 2006) Pennsylvania State University (M.S. 2009) |
| Occupation | Darknet market operator |
| Years active | February 2011 – October 2013 |
| Known for | Owner of Silk Road |
| Net worth | $28.5 million (at time of seizure) |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment without possibility of parole (May 29, 2015) |
| Criminal status | In prison |
| Website | freeross |
| Conviction(s) | Money laundering Computer hacking Conspiracy to traffic narcotics (February 6, 2015) |
|
Date apprehended
|
October 2, 2013 |
| Imprisoned at | Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York |
Ross William Ulbricht (born March 27, 1984) is a former darknet market operator, best known for being convicted of creating and running the Silk Road website until his arrest. He was known under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts".
Ulbricht was convicted of money laundering, computer hacking, conspiracy to traffic fraudulent identity documents, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics in February 2015. He is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
Ulbricht grew up in the Austin metropolitan area. He served as a Boy Scout, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended West Ridge Middle School, and Westlake High School, Austin, Texas. He graduated from high school in 2002.
He attended the University of Texas at Dallas on a full academic scholarship, and graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in physics. He then attended Pennsylvania State University, where he was in a master's degree program in materials science and engineering and studied crystallography. By the time Ulbricht graduated he had lost interest in his major and was interested in libertarian economic theory. In particular, Ulbricht adhered to the political philosophy of Ludwig von Mises and supported Ron Paul, and participated in college debates to discuss his economic views.
Ulbricht graduated from Penn State in 2009 and returned to Austin. By this time Ulbricht, finding regular employment unsatisfying, wanted to become an entrepreneur, but his first attempts to start his own business failed. He eventually partnered with a friend to help build an online used book seller, Good Wagon Books. His limited business success, combined with a breakup with his on-and-off girlfriend from Penn State, left Ulbricht deeply dissatisfied with his life.
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