These Screenshots Could Get Ross Ulbricht a Lot of Time in Prison

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These Screenshots Could Get Ross Ulbricht a Lot of Time in Prison

The prosecution in the Silk Road trial is hoping to get a harsher sentence by reminding the judge of the worst parts of the site.

As the sentencing hearing nears for Ross Ulbricht, the 31-year-old convicted of creating and running online black market Silk Road, the government has filed a summary of some of the worst items users could buy on the site, asking the judge to give him a "lengthy sentence."

In a letter filed on Tuesday, the government described how 1.5 million transactions with a total value of $214 million were carried out over Silk Road, including at least $8.9 million in sales of heroin, $17.3 million of cocaine, and $8.1 million of methamphetamine.

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The filings included screenshots of listings for drugs, which made up 95 percent of sales on the site, as well as other illicit items like fake IDs, computer hacking services, and money laundering manuals.

The government also included evidence of firearms sales. The site administrator Dread Pirate Roberts initially banned weapon sales on the site, but eight months later firearms were listed for sale. An offshoot site called The Armory was also created specifically for selling guns in February 2012. The government said Ulbricht permitted the sale of assault rifles on the site through August of that year before shutting it down—not because it was ethically ambiguous, but because it wasn't getting much use.

Other screenshots featured counterfeit luxury items, fake identification including passports and drivers' licenses, and computer hacking materials.

Ulbricht faces a maximum of life in prison after being found guilty on seven counts stemming from creating and operating Silk Road. The government is asking for a sentence "substantially above the mandatory minimum" of 20 years. He will be sentenced on Friday and has already stated he plans to appeal his conviction.