It’s going from bad to worse for alleged Silk Road mastermind Ross Ulbricht as federal prosecutors in New York recently filed paperwork accusing him of ordering six murders for a total of $730,000. Two murder for hire plots were detailed by authorities when Ulbricht was arrested but the other four jobs are new.
The accusations come as the US Attorney’s Office prepared to argue that Ulbricht should be denied bail. Authorities claim he hired a Silk Road user by the name of “redandwhite” to kill a Canadian citizen that was blackmailing him and three other people living with the target. Much like the other two plots, however, authorities could find no evidence that the murders actually ever took place.
Regardless of whether the hits took place or not, prosecutors believe Ulbricht is a danger to the community simply because he allegedly hired the hits. Attorney Serrin Turner said there is no reason to believe he would not resort to violence in order to protect himself if released which could include intimidating witnesses and trying to recover Bitcoins that he is believed to still be hiding.
Ulbricht’s attorney said his client doesn’t present a risk if set free because he has strong ties to the US and his family. A judge ultimately denied the bail request.
Elsewhere, prosecutors found at least nine fake IDs belonging to Ulbricht. They also claim he was exploring the possibility of becoming a citizen in several Caribbean countries and tried to obtain fake identity documents over the summer.
