Did a Tweet Just Raise $165,000 for the Alleged Silk Road Kingpin's Legal Fund?

Ross Ulbricht, the alleged kingpin of defunct dark web bazaar the Silk Road, will be waking up to some comforting news this morning. A tweet promising to donate to his fund has gone semi-viral, likely bringing in enough cash to pay for his legal defense, while also raising awareness of his upcoming trial.

It started when Roger Ver, a Bitcoin startup investor, tweeted: “If guilty, he's a hero. If innocent, he needs help,” and said that he'll donate $10 to Ross' defence fund for every retweet.

I’ll give $10 to @Free_Ross for each RT. If guilty, he’s a hero. If innocent, he needs help. http://t.co/XwhqrN06UT pic.twitter.com/Oau4dkFvdV

— Roger Ver (@rogerkver) July 5, 2014

At the time of print, the pledge had been retweeted nearly 17,000 times. However, Roger Ver has said that “the donation limit has been reached”, but more retweets are welcome. I asked Ver how much he plans to donate, but he didn't reply in time for publication.

In response, the Free Ross Twitter posted that Ver “is a hero & champion. We're privileged to have him as an ally & are profoundly grateful for his awesome support. Thank you Roger!”

Over the past few months the Free Ross campaign has drawn support from other corners of the crypto and Bitcoin scenes. Cody Wilson, now famous for his 3D printed gun and DarkWallet projects, has donated assests to the IndieGoGo campaign, which is currently at $4,345 of its $20,000 goal.

As for the main fund-raising pool, one donation has consisted of 28.7BTC, which was worth roughly $17,000 at the time and is now valued at around $18,000, according to CoinDesk.

During the build up to the recent auction of 30,000BTC formally belonging to Silk Road, Ross' mother Lyn Ulbricht told CoinDesk that despite their support site receiving more traffic, “We have not had any noticeable uptick in legal fund donations from the auction, although some people are tweeting that it would be nice if Tim Draper would throw some bitoin [sic] our way!”

Thank you @rogerkver for your support! You are a champion and we are deeply grateful. #FreeRoss pic.twitter.com/kG6ul7k8WT

— Free_Ross (@Free_Ross) July 6, 2014

So this latest donation is going to be a welcome boost to the $100,000 in total needed for Ulbricht's legal defence—especially in light of the Feds' point-by-point demolition of the alleged kingpin's defence—and may even surpass it. But perhaps just as important for him is publicity for a case that has received relatively little media attention.

Ulbricht's family and lawyer see it as part of the bigger issue of internet freedom. According to the Free Ross Ulbricht website, “Under present law, website hosts are not held responsible in civil cases for illegal actions on their sites. This case could set precedent for criminal liability for web hosts.” In other words, those who host websites may start to suffer criminal charges for what other parties carry out on their domain.

To update on the cases being prepared, of the six murder-for-hire charges originally brought against Ross, he is still indicted for one in Maryland, and he wasn't indicted for any in New York. A note on the Free Ross site says that, “The murder-for-hire allegation is now an “uncharged crime” mentioned in the narcotics trafficking conspiracy section of the New York Indictment. It is NOT a formal charge and requires no proof.”

Joshua Dratel, Ulbricht's attorney, has also raised issues with the indictment, claiming that drug distribution, continuing a criminal enterprise, computer hacking, and money laundering do not match with the allegations of hosting a website. For example, with regards to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, the Free Ross website says that, “This statute does not address Ulbricht’s alleged conduct. He is not alleged to have possessed or sold drugs, but to have operated a site where they were bought and sold by others.”

Dratel also plans to argue that Ulbricht can not be found guilty of money laundering, because, simply, Bitcoin does not constitute currency. Although with the recent legalization of Bitcoin in California, this defence may not stand up in a court of law.

Ulbricht was arrested in October 2013 when the Silk Road was seized by the FBI. Since then, a copycat has sprung up and currently hosts 13,500 different listings for drugs.

What this latest spike in exposure means for Ulbricht's case remains to be seen, but it is unlikely to sway the prosecution. Ulbricht still faces serious criminal charges, including one usually reserved for Mafia kingpins, and may spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty. The trial doesn't start until November 3, but the donation and the interest in the case indeed may sway public opinion.