Misc The Dwead Piwate Wobewts Has Been Caught

Sorter · 10-03-2013, 01:05 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4032116.html

Online, he went by the name "Dread Pirate Roberts" and ran what authorities called "the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet today."

But his real name, according to an FBI criminal complaint released Wednesday, was Ross William Ulbricht. And despite allegedly operating a sprawling black market bazaar that earned $1.2 billion in sales, the 29-year-old lived a humble lifestyle, paying $1,000 a month for a room in a San Francisco apartment he shared with two roommates.

On Wednesday, the FBI said they had arrested Ulbricht and shut down his website, Silk Road, which had become a booming marketplace for illegal drugs, computer hacking tools and other illicit goods and services.

Ulbricht had been operating the site since January 2011 under the online nickname "Dread Pirate Roberts," an apparent reference to a fictional character from "The Princess Bride" book and movie, according to the FBI.

Silk Road was an underground market for thousands of drug dealers around the world to anonymously sell large amounts of marijuana, heroin, LSD and cocaine, the FBI said in the complaint.

As of last month, there were nearly 13,000 listings on the site for illegal narcotics with categories such as "Psychedelics," "Stimulants" and "Cannabis," according to the complaint. Cybercriminals also used Silk Road to hawk documents to create fake identities, tools for computer hacking, and stolen logins to Netflix and Amazon accounts, authorities said. As part of their investigation, undercover FBI agents made more than 100 drug purchases from Silk Road vendors who were located in 10 different countries, the complaint said.

Authorities have known about Silk Road for some time. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) called it "a certifiable one-stop shop for illegal drugs that represents the most brazen attempt to peddle drugs online that we have ever seen" in 2011. On Wednesday, Schumer issued a statement saying "the country is safer now that this open market for law-breaking has been shuttered.”

Ulbricht disguised his identity -- and those of Silk Road's visitors -- by using Tor, a network that encrypts Internet traffic by routing it through computers around the world, the FBI said. He added another layer of anonymity by requiring all transactions to be made in Bitcoins, a digital currency that is virtually untraceable.

He was fiercely protective of his users' identities, according to authorities. When one person threatened to publicly release the names of Silk Road visitors, Ulbricht allegedly offered to pay another Silk Road user to have him killed -- though there was no evidence the murder-for-hire scheme took place, the FBI said.

"This kind of behavior is unforgivable to me," Ulbricht allegedly said in reference to the threat, according to the FBI. "Especially here on Silk Road, anonymity is sacrosanct."

Ulbricht also offered tips on how to conduct transactions without being caught by law enforcement, authorities said. His website told sellers to "vacuum seal" packages of narcotics to avoid drug-sniffing dogs and instructed buyers to have drugs sent to addresses other than their own, according to court documents.

But Ulbricht did not always take such precautions with his own anonymity. Authorities said they were led to his doorstep after Canadian border officials seized a package containing counterfeit identity documents addressed to his apartment in San Francisco. The FBI alleged in its complaint that Ulbricht planned to use fake IDs to rent more servers to run Silk Road. He also accessed a Silk Road server from an Internet cafe 500 feet from where he was staying, authorities said.

The FBI complaint references Ulbricht's LinkedIn profile, and says the agency understands that he graduated with a physics degree from University of Texas at Dallas in 2006, then attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Materials Science and Engineering.

Ulbricht's LinkedIn profile matches the FBI's quotes and information -- though it lists Pennsylvania State University instead of the University of Pennsylvania for graduate school. An FBI spokesman confirmed that the profile belonged to Ulbricht.

In its complaint, the FBI notes that according to Ulbricht's LinkedIn profile, his goals "shifted" after graduate school, and he became focused on giving people "a first-hand experience of what it would be like to live in a world without the systemic use of force" by "institutions and governments."

Ulbricht was arrested Tuesday in San Francisco at a public library, according to Forbes.

Authorities charged Ulbricht with narcotics trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. Calls to a number listed under his name were not returned. The Silk Road website has since been replaced by a banner that says the site has been seized by the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Division and ICE Homeland Security Investigations.

"He is a really stellar, good person and very idealistic," Ulbricht's mother, Lyn Lacava, told Reuters. "I know he never meant to hurt anyone."

In a recent profile in Forbes magazine, the operator of Silk Road, who did not reveal his actual name, told a reporter that he never held meetings in person, "even with my closet advisers," and took measures to disguise his identity online out of fear that authorities were closing in.

"The highest levels of government are hunting me," he told Forbes. "I can’t take any chances.”

Not exactly Cary Elwes.

**mikeyis4dcats.** · 10-03-2013, 01:06 PM

what kinda moron does that from anywhere but a Caribbean island without extradition?

Sully · 10-03-2013, 01:08 PM

Weedbay

vailpass · 10-03-2013, 01:11 PM

Never match wits with a Thicillian when death ith on the line!

Hammock Parties · 10-03-2013, 01:19 PM

**** the government.

BlackHelicopters · 10-03-2013, 01:20 PM

Condolences

**bevischief** · 10-03-2013, 01:28 PM

Crap now where do I get my drugs...

**Fire Me Boy!** · 10-03-2013, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vailpass

Never match wits with a Thicillian when death ith on the line!

"Never go in againthst a Thicilian when death ith of the line!"

vailpass · 10-03-2013, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

"Never go in againthst a Thicilian when death ith of the line!"

Damnit! @standing corrected

JD10367 · 10-03-2013, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

"Never go in againthst a Thicilian when death ith of the line!"

"Someone has beaten the Giants here!"

(See what I did there?)

vailpass · 10-03-2013, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JD10367

"Someone has beaten the Giants here!"

(See what I did there?)

Bested the Giants

**CrazyPhuD** · 10-03-2013, 02:35 PM

RIP I'm going to have to pour out a 2 liter of coke in memory!

**Reaper16** · 10-03-2013, 02:37 PM

The craziest part of this story is that Bitcoin, the currency of the future according to many young libertarians, has been significantly propped up by drug money. Its viability is zilch now.

Halfcan · 10-03-2013, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeyis4dcats.

what kinda moron does that from anywhere but a Caribbean island without extradition?

Exactly? To smart for his own good.

saphojunkie · 10-03-2013, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vailpass

Bested the Giants

Beaten

10-03-2013, 01:05 PM
Sorter Caralho Join Date: Sep 2011 Casino cash: $9631474	The Dwead Piwate Wobewts Has Been Caught http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4032116.html Online, he went by the name "Dread Pirate Roberts" and ran what authorities called "the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet today." But his real name, according to an FBI criminal complaint released Wednesday, was Ross William Ulbricht. And despite allegedly operating a sprawling black market bazaar that earned $1.2 billion in sales, the 29-year-old lived a humble lifestyle, paying $1,000 a month for a room in a San Francisco apartment he shared with two roommates. On Wednesday, the FBI said they had arrested Ulbricht and shut down his website, Silk Road, which had become a booming marketplace for illegal drugs, computer hacking tools and other illicit goods and services. Ulbricht had been operating the site since January 2011 under the online nickname "Dread Pirate Roberts," an apparent reference to a fictional character from "The Princess Bride" book and movie, according to the FBI. Silk Road was an underground market for thousands of drug dealers around the world to anonymously sell large amounts of marijuana, heroin, LSD and cocaine, the FBI said in the complaint. As of last month, there were nearly 13,000 listings on the site for illegal narcotics with categories such as "Psychedelics," "Stimulants" and "Cannabis," according to the complaint. Cybercriminals also used Silk Road to hawk documents to create fake identities, tools for computer hacking, and stolen logins to Netflix and Amazon accounts, authorities said. As part of their investigation, undercover FBI agents made more than 100 drug purchases from Silk Road vendors who were located in 10 different countries, the complaint said. Authorities have known about Silk Road for some time. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) called it "a certifiable one-stop shop for illegal drugs that represents the most brazen attempt to peddle drugs online that we have ever seen" in 2011. On Wednesday, Schumer issued a statement saying "the country is safer now that this open market for law-breaking has been shuttered.” Ulbricht disguised his identity -- and those of Silk Road's visitors -- by using Tor, a network that encrypts Internet traffic by routing it through computers around the world, the FBI said. He added another layer of anonymity by requiring all transactions to be made in Bitcoins, a digital currency that is virtually untraceable. He was fiercely protective of his users' identities, according to authorities. When one person threatened to publicly release the names of Silk Road visitors, Ulbricht allegedly offered to pay another Silk Road user to have him killed -- though there was no evidence the murder-for-hire scheme took place, the FBI said. "This kind of behavior is unforgivable to me," Ulbricht allegedly said in reference to the threat, according to the FBI. "Especially here on Silk Road, anonymity is sacrosanct." Ulbricht also offered tips on how to conduct transactions without being caught by law enforcement, authorities said. His website told sellers to "vacuum seal" packages of narcotics to avoid drug-sniffing dogs and instructed buyers to have drugs sent to addresses other than their own, according to court documents. But Ulbricht did not always take such precautions with his own anonymity. Authorities said they were led to his doorstep after Canadian border officials seized a package containing counterfeit identity documents addressed to his apartment in San Francisco. The FBI alleged in its complaint that Ulbricht planned to use fake IDs to rent more servers to run Silk Road. He also accessed a Silk Road server from an Internet cafe 500 feet from where he was staying, authorities said. The FBI complaint references Ulbricht's LinkedIn profile, and says the agency understands that he graduated with a physics degree from University of Texas at Dallas in 2006, then attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Materials Science and Engineering. Ulbricht's LinkedIn profile matches the FBI's quotes and information -- though it lists Pennsylvania State University instead of the University of Pennsylvania for graduate school. An FBI spokesman confirmed that the profile belonged to Ulbricht. In its complaint, the FBI notes that according to Ulbricht's LinkedIn profile, his goals "shifted" after graduate school, and he became focused on giving people "a first-hand experience of what it would be like to live in a world without the systemic use of force" by "institutions and governments." Ulbricht was arrested Tuesday in San Francisco at a public library, according to Forbes. Authorities charged Ulbricht with narcotics trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. Calls to a number listed under his name were not returned. The Silk Road website has since been replaced by a banner that says the site has been seized by the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Division and ICE Homeland Security Investigations. "He is a really stellar, good person and very idealistic," Ulbricht's mother, Lyn Lacava, told Reuters. "I know he never meant to hurt anyone." In a recent profile in Forbes magazine, the operator of Silk Road, who did not reveal his actual name, told a reporter that he never held meetings in person, "even with my closet advisers," and took measures to disguise his identity online out of fear that authorities were closing in. "The highest levels of government are hunting me," he told Forbes. "I can’t take any chances.” Not exactly Cary Elwes.
Posts: 18,453

10-03-2013, 01:06 PM	#2
mikeyis4dcats. Scarlett Johansson's boytoy Join Date: Nov 2006 Casino cash: $9555998	what kinda moron does that from anywhere but a Caribbean island without extradition? __________________
Posts: 12,526

10-03-2013, 01:08 PM	#3
Sully It Goes On Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Lees Summit Casino cash: $10026331	Weedbay __________________ "And I don't wish that girl any bad luck," he said, "but I hope she gets hit with a car." - Tommy Lasorda
Posts: 18,295

10-03-2013, 01:11 PM	#4
vailpass Psycho Bag Of Squanch Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9594244	Never match wits with a Thicillian when death ith on the line! __________________ “Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Joseph Stalin
Posts: 69,591

10-03-2013, 01:19 PM	#5
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4800478	**** the government. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 277,512

10-03-2013, 01:20 PM	#6
BlackHelicopters Spiraling down the Drain Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Dante's Ninth Circle Casino cash: $2800588	Condolences __________________ "We're both part of the same hypocrisy, Senator, but never think it applies to my family." "Fredo. You are my brother, and I love you. But never take sides against the Family again. Ever." 2019 Adopt a Chief - Travis Kelce #87
Posts: 31,651

10-03-2013, 01:28 PM	#7
bevischief .... Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somewhere Kansas Casino cash: $8659352 VARSITY	Crap now where do I get my drugs...
Posts: 27,731

10-03-2013, 02:35 PM	#12
CrazyPhuD Meow Join Date: Jun 2005 Casino cash: $10005050	RIP I'm going to have to pour out a 2 liter of coke in memory! __________________ "Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t*rd by the clean end"
Posts: 8,523