The 29-year-old was arrested on Wednesday after a two-year infiltration by the FBI of the Silk Road website that made him millions of dollars. He is also accused in the US state of Maryland of a failed hit on a blackmailer who threatened to expose users of the site unless he was paid US$500,000.
His family and friends expressed astonishment at the charges against him as his life lived in public gave few hints as to his alleged involvement as a major player in the criminal underworld. "He is a really stellar, good person and very idealistic," said his mother, Lyn Lacava. "I know he never meant to hurt anyone."
Ulbricht's interests on YouTube point to his libertarian outlook, his support for Ron Paul - the US presidential candidate and intellectual behind the right-wing Tea Party movement - and apparent like of the 1980s music of British band ELO.
He played drums for an African performance group, and belonged to a salsa dancing class at the University of Texas, according to the Washington Post, and had a keen interest in yoga, camping and partying.
In a 35-minute interview with a friend, he talks of taking AMT - a one-time legal psychedelic drug - and appeared to liken his youthful drug experiences to "a cannonball".
However, he expresses concerns over the role of government interference of the internet. "I feel like the world is in flux for sure," he says. "You have the UN telecommunications department trying to create global rules for the internet and global governance emerging - crazy times."
Ulbricht also had a Facebook page and accounts with Twitter and LinkedIn, where he writes of his changing philosophy after completing his work as a physicist.
"The most widespread and systemic use of force is among institutions and governments, so this is my current point of effort," he said.
In July, customs agents intercepted fake documents with Ulbricht's photo on them but when confronted at his San Francisco home he refused to answer questions, according to the FBI papers filed in a US court. The papers revealed that agents had been buying drugs from the site since 2011 before finally tracking down Ulbricht.
He was arrested in a branch of San Francisco's public library while online on his laptop talking about the Silk Road with someone helping the FBI, authorities said. Librarians said they heard a loud commotion in the science fiction section of the library and saw a young man, who appeared to offer no resistance, pushed up against a floor-to-ceiling window by plain-clothes FBI agents as they handcuffed him.
The website, Silk Road, allowed users to anonymously browse through nearly 13,000 listings under categories like "Cannabis", "Psychedelics" and "Stimulants" before making purchases using the electronic currency Bitcoin. One listing for heroin promised buyers "all rock, no powder, vacuum-sealed and stealth shipping", and had a community forum below where one person commented: "Quality is superb."
- Independent
