Two years ago yesterday was the worst day of my life. On that day our son, Ross Ulbricht, was given a double life sentence for all non-violent charges. Despite slander in the media, Ross was not charged at trial with murder-for-hire and it has never been proven. No victims came forward in court to say Ross had harmed them in any way. Yet Judge Forrest considers Ross so dangerous that he needs to die in a cage.
Ross once said to me: “Mom, a life sentence is really a death sentence. It just takes longer.”
Judge Forrest handed down what is essentially a death sentence to “send a message” to others who might build a dark web marketplace. This failed attempt at deterrence has, according to research, actually boosted dark net sales, which have more than doubled since the sentencing.
Four months after Ross was sentenced I came within minutes of suddenly dying of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, commonly known as Broken Heart Syndrome. It is caused from acute grief or stress and can kill even a healthy heart like mine. By God’s grace I survived with no lasting damage, but am a (thankfully) living example of how cruel and unrestrained treatment by the government can harm, or kill, not only the accused but also their loved ones. This includes the 2.9 million American children of incarcerated parents. Over two-thirds of these parents – like Ross – are non-violent, mostly drug offenders.
Judge Forrest’s excessive sentence was widely criticized, both in and out of the legal community. Former federal judge Nancy Gertner joined Ross’ appeal, along with Drug Policy Alliance, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and JustLeadershipUSA to challenge it. Criminal defense lawyer Scott Greenfield wrote in his blog:
"The mandatory minimum was twenty years. Twenty years… is a very long time… It’s a generation, to give it some context.
Two life sentences plus, a brutal sentence for someone “no better a person than any other drug dealer.” But then, his crime wasn’t being a drug dealer. Not even profiting off other people who were drug dealers. Not even facilitating other people’s drug deals. No, no, no. Sure, all that was involved, but that was not what bought him life.
This was:
'[A]nd in breaking that ground as the first person he had to be punished accordingly.'
As for Ulbricht, a twenty year sentence would have been more than sufficient to serve any legitimate purpose. In twenty years from now, no one will remember why they put some kid in a cell forever, as somewhere on the dark web, if not openly on a street corner, there will be heroin for sale."
Ross is appealing his sentence, along with his convictions. I never dreamed I’d be hoping and praying for our son to have a chance at a 20-year prison sentence, but that’s where this has brought me and my family. At least with that Ross would have some life left.
Please keep Ross in your thoughts and prayers as we wait for the ruling of the appellate court.
As an American living in Australia, I've been amazed by how short the prison sentences are here. The maximum drug trafficking sentence is 5 years. Even murderers get a maximum of 25 years (still not sure about that one). I find that Australians are much more compassionate towards prisoners and work hard to help them once they're out. It has helped me to see how unjust the US system is.
I'm really sorry for what you and your family are going through, and especially Ross.
Thank you. They made sure he was tried in NY, the worst place in the US for justice.
I think the primary difference is profit motive. In the USA there is a HUGE incentive to have an endless supply of prisoners not only to fuel private prison corporations, the logistical suppliers, law enforcement, and most importantly, USA's answer to China's sweat shops, prison labor. In prison, prisoners work for pennies producing goods sold on the open market. There is such a massive prison industrial complex in the USA, over 1% of our entire population is incarcerated. Slavery never really ended here, it just changed form.
Well put.
Completely agree and this is even before getting into the problem of for-profit prisons.
Where human beings are inventory. But the government prisons are a racket too.
Yeah that sucks. Very unjust.
God bless Ross and your entire family. There is no justice anymore! I pray his appeal goes well.
I can only hope that the appeal goes well - Ross should never have been convicted in the first place imo.
Your passionate defence over the years has been really inspiring to watch and I'm so glad to see you posting here again even if its on such a heartbreaking anniversary.
I've resteemed this post, I hope a lot more people will show their support.
Keep up the good fight Lyn
Hey thanks. I plan to be on here more.
That's a sick story. Disgusting heavy-handed and missing the point. This judge must be the kind of asshole that things weed makes people rapists, yet a rapist won't even get a life sentence. Or what about the millions of crooked doctors and drug companies that lobby to block medicinal cannabis in favor of peddling addictive opiates that send people on a spiral towards heroin addiction and overdose.
Your son was a visionary who made the world a safer place. His legacy is the Dark Net Markets. Fewer guns on street corners, cleaner drugs (thanks to crowd funded lab testing and dealer reputation). He had a peaceful answer to the war on drugs, and the establishment did not like that.
Now we have the fentanyl crisis and they blame the users, as if they can stop using. No. It's not the users' fault, it's the prohibitionists' fault. The government's fault. The tyrants who know that demand will always be met, but will not allow it to be met by the safest, cleanest, and most peaceful means possible, because they are owned by the prisons and unions, owned by the pharmaceuticals, who lobby tirelessly to keep harmless plants and chemicals out of people's hands while simultaneously filling those hands with addictive, deadly opiates.
My only reservations about the case were the revelations regarding murders for hire (obviously, who can support that). If those accusations are false then your son is a political prisoner. History will record a martyr. The War on Drugs has ruined so many lives, and transferred so much wealth from the bottom to the top. It is the biggest lie in history.
Gary Webb exposed that the FBI obliterated inner cities with cocaine in order to finance terrorism. His punishment was "suicide" by two gun shots to the head. Quite a feat, for a dead man to pull a trigger. Do as they say, not as they do.
One day your son will be a free man. Society will recognize this hypocrisy once enough television-brain-washed baby boomers are gone. There will be a pivot. This sentence is cruel and unusual punishment. It does not fit the "crime", if you can call opening a free marketplace a crime.
I think Ross is paying life sentence, just to prove that Freedom exists, that must be exercised by each and every one of us, the reality is that he is not in that situation because of drug trafficking or anything like that
Thinking about Ross's case leads you to conclude that it could be any of us who receive such a prison sentence
From Venezuela receive my respects and my greetings.
Thank you. Yes, it's political and frightening.
Sad story I hope one day you find happiness
Thank you
Congratulations @rossulbricht!
Your post was mentioned in my hit parade in the following category:
People sometimes get less for murder in the U.S..
Ross is a political prisoner, who needed to be punished to set an example and to protect government control of the common man. This is how tyranny works.
what a nice article. resteemed.
So sad what happened to Ross.
When will the ruling of the appellate court be?
Sadly they upheld the court and kept the sentence.
Yes I've read about it. I am sorry..... :(
meep
So Brutal, still chokes me up lynn.
God no, don't settle... 20yrs ? he was charged under statutory law.
The Constitution is the Supreme law of the land. Article VI of the US Constitution also known as the Supremacy clause
Bring an Administration of Justice claim using the Supremacy Clause.
video by: Keith Hughes
https://steemit.com/law/@healthiswealth/do-you-know-your-human-rights
Listen closely @6:20
All of you are in my thoughts and prayers.
I am glad my upvote got you $50 bless you Steemit !
Hey thank you for this and your support.
I hope learning your rights takes you in a path of freedom and happyness.
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nice...resteem and upvote for your...
In the Netherlands you would have to go to jail for this.
But only 2/3 years or so.
Best of luck for you and your family!
What crime was committed? Who was the victim? To whom is restitution owed, and how would jail even qualify if it were owed?
No victims came forward at trial to say Ross had harmed them in any way.
I know. The question was rhetorical. No victim? No crime.
The US Criminal Justice System is very broken.
cool post
Did you guys dig into the 1871 act aka US = corporation scam?
My cryptography class watched the documentary in class and man, what BS! Best of luck and God Bless!
Please spread the word!
I hope justice will be served correctly. Free Ross.
I just heard they upheld his conviction. I hope he can still find a way to continue the fight.
We will keep fighting.
lamentable lo de Ross, la justicia divina estara a su lado
interesante publicacion muy buena de verdad
I remember reading about this, and at the time, thinking what a failure of our criminal system. " Sending a message" by overly punishing a smart young non violent person is absolutely rediculous. It still makes no sence to me how they came up with a double life sentence :(
It doesn't make sense. Other judges don't do that.
FREE ROSS! It's just insane what is the government doing! And some child rapists get 10years, where is the justice in that???? WHERE???
Huge discrepancies in sentencing. There are 17,000 non-violent people serving life in the US according to the ACLU.
Don't get me wrong, I love the US for so many reasons. But when I see what's going on all over the country makes me not wanna ever live there. For now at least.
But we are in a new era, in Trump era. You think he can make any changes in any way to get Ross out?
I PRAY FOR ALL OF YOU !
With Jeff Sessions as Attorney General and his very harsh stance on drugs in general, unfortunately I don't think the Trump administration will be much help. Perhaps if this could be somehow brought personally to Trump's attention he could commute the sentence, but he clearly is very busy.
Maybe JUST MAYBE I CAN HELP to get this thing realized!
I come from Slovenia, and we are a small country, Melania Trump and her family own a house about a 100km from me. I know they are not around as much than before, but still, I will try my best to find someone close to them or a personal friend of Melania and I hope they have anything in their heart to listen to what I have to say! And pass it on to the Trumps!
I promise I will put all my focus into that for the next few weeks when I travel around the country!
I will keep you updated @rossulbricht !
Ross WE ARE WITH YOU!
Good luck. This would be amazing. Please update.
TY! I WILL!
PRAY FOR ROSS!
The system is so messed up now a days.
Good morning, I've followed you and I see you make a good post congratulations, follow me and we help each other
This is so sad.
Plain sad.