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Ross William Ulbricht, the alleged owner of the black-market website Silk Road, has been charged following allegations of drug trafficking computer hacking and money... Owner Of Silk Road is Charged

Ross William Ulbricht, the alleged owner of the black-market website Silk Road, has been charged following allegations of drug trafficking computer hacking and money laundering.

Prosecutors have also alleged that he is responsible for conspiring six murders, one of which was a former Silk Road employee.

Ulbricht’s lawyer said in a statement: “The indictment was expected and does not contain any new factual allegations. We look forward to preparing Ross’ defence.” He added that his client will not plead guilty to all of the charges.

Ross Ulbricht

Ross William Ulbricht

Ulbricht was arrested last year and officials seized 173,991 Bitcoins, which are thought to be payment for the online transactions. However Ulbricht has filed a claim contesting the seizure, saying that the Bitcoins belong to him rather than Silk Road, as they were found on his personal computer.

Owner Of Silk Road is Charged

The website, which enabled visitors to browse almost 13,000 products, was shut down by the FBI at the time of the arrest. As well as illegal drugs, the site offered services for forging documents, computer hacking and pirated media content.

[Images via Telegraph & wired]

SOURCE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26037129