In a Manhattan court, Ross Ulbricht pleaded ‘not guilty’ today on all charges related to his alleged founding and managing of the Silk Road online drug marketplace on the darknet, taken down late last year.
Ulbricht’s formal indictment came on Tuesday, in which a charge we haven’t previously seen of running a “criminal enterprise” was made known to the public (other charges include narcotic trafficking and money laundering).
Ulbricht’s defense attorney, Joshua Dratel, had already hinted that Ulbricht would be pleading not guilty this week — eliminating any of the prosecutor’s hope that Ulbricht might reach a plea agreement by providing relevant information on co-conspirators.
Prosecutors say they have between eight and ten terabytes of data they intend to provide as evidence during Ulbricht’s trial, which is expected to start in early November and carry on for four to six weeks. Ulbricht’s defense will be able to review the material in advance, as will Ulbricht himself via a laptop at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center.
According to Forbes, Ulbricht’s attorney, Dratel, hinted to reporters outside of the court house that his defense strategy might attack law enforcement’s methods of acquiring the evidence.
More developments as they become available. (via Forbes)
