At Least 20 Years In Prison Awaits Silk Road Founder
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Prosecutors say a San Francisco man who created the online drug-peddling site Silk Road should spend decades in prison, but the defendant is asking to be freed soon enough to show he's a changed man.
Ross William Ulbricht is set to be sentenced Friday after his February Manhattan federal court conviction.
Prosecutors have argued that with his Silk Road website, using the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts," Ulbricht created a one-stop online shopping mall where the supply of illegal drugs was virtually limitless, WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported.
In a letter to the sentencing judge, Ulbricht says he now regrets what he calls a "very naive and costly idea.''
He wrote that he did not create the Silk Road for financial gain, though he did take millions in commissions, but because he thought people should have the right to buy and sell whatever they want, Cornell reported.
He says he ruined his life and destroyed his future by what he now calls his "terrible mistake.'' He promises to no longer be the "rebellious risk taker'' he was if he is given less than the life sentence recommended by the Probation Department.
Prosecutors have asked for a sentence substantially longer than the 20-year mandatory minimum.
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