Ross William Ulbricht

Seven counts, convicted February 4, 2015, following a four-week jury trial in the Southern District of New York: narcotics trafficking conspiracy, distributing narcotics, distributing narcotics by means of the internet, continuing criminal enterprise (the federal "kingpin" statute), conspiracy to commit computer hacking, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Ulbricht founded and operated Silk Road — the first large-scale dark web marketplace — under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts," running it from February 2011 until the FBI shut it down and arrested him in San Francisco in October 2013. The platform operated on the Tor anonymity network and used Bitcoin for transactions. It generated approximately $183 million in sales over its lifetime, with Ulbricht earning roughly $13 million in commissions; drugs accounted for approximately 70% of all listings. At least six people died from overdoses involving drugs purchased on the site. Note: allegations that Ulbricht solicited murder-for-hire contracts were referenced by the judge at sentencing but were never charged or proven in the New York trial. Separate murder-for-hire charges filed in Maryland were dropped by prosecutors in 2018.