Ross Ulbricht, also known by his online alias "Dread Pirate Roberts," is the creator of the Silk Road, a darknet marketplace primarily used for selling illegal drugs. In 2013, authorities confiscated approximately 174,000 Bitcoins from Ulbricht and Silk Road's operations, amounting to over $3.3 billion at the time of recovery. Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for facilitating illegal transactions and other criminal activities through Silk Road. His case has sparked significant debate over issues of internet freedom, privacy, and the ethics of online marketplaces. FREE ROSS