There is no evidence in the cited court record that anyone was killed in the purported Silk Road hitman plots. Federal prosecutors said Ross Ulbricht, who used the name “Dread Pirate Roberts,” solicited and paid for killings to protect Silk Road. The episodes were serious allegations, but the alleged deaths were not established: the Second Circuit said there was “no evidence that any of the murders actually occurred.”
Did Dread Pirate Roberts really hire a hitman?
According to the prosecution evidence summarized by the Second Circuit, Ulbricht solicited and paid intermediaries for purported killings. The apparent purpose was to protect Silk Road and its anonymity. The record supports the existence of solicitations and payments; it does not establish that the targeted people were murdered.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Silk Road DVD Collection | $80.23 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![The Silk Road [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51OHOoj+osL._SL160_.jpg)
|
The Silk Road [DVD] | $23.59 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure [ITV] [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/516r5X8PH7L._SL160_.jpg)
|
Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure [ITV] [DVD] | $19.68 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![Documentary - Silk Road Slim Pack (4DVDS) [Japan DVD] CFC-1474](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qWykqCvdL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Documentary - Silk Road Slim Pack (4DVDS) [Japan DVD] CFC-1474 | $132.54 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Faudon, Curt - Silk Road | $20.57 | Buy on Amazon |
The phrase “hitman scam” is a shorthand for the gap between the claimed murder-for-hire arrangements and what the evidence establishes about their outcome. It should not be taken to mean that every detail of the alleged plots was proven in court, or that a real hired killer carried them out.
Why do accounts give different numbers of plots?
The figures describe different slices of the events. The Justice Department’s 2015 sentencing release summarized six murder-for-hire solicitations. The Second Circuit’s account of evidence presented at trial describes five episodes involving the intermediary known as redandwhite. A separate episode involving Silk Road administrator Curtis Green was not presented at trial because it was connected to corrupt agent Carl Force.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →#1 Best Overall
| Episode or count | What the sources describe | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Five redandwhite episodes | The Second Circuit describes five episodes involving the intermediary using that Silk Road identity. | These are the episodes in the appellate opinion’s account of the trial evidence. |
| Separate Flush episode | The appellate opinion says Carl Force, posing as “Nob,” faked the killing of administrator Curtis Green to make Ulbricht believe it had been completed. | This episode was not presented at trial because of its connection to Force’s corrupt-agent conduct. |
| Six solicitations | The Justice Department’s 2015 sentencing release summarizes six solicitations. | This is the DOJ’s sentencing-summary count, not a claim that six killings were proven. |
The five trial episodes and the separate Flush episode help explain how the sources arrive at different counts. The figures are not evidence that six people died.
Who was redandwhite?
Redandwhite was the Silk Road identity used by James Ellingson, an intermediary who claimed to arrange killings. In a 2023 announcement of charges, the Justice Department alleged that Ellingson claimed to arrange five killings and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoin. The announcement also said law enforcement had no evidence that the purported murders took place. Those descriptions were allegations in an indictment, not a judicial finding that the claimed arrangements or deaths occurred.
Rank #2
The same 2023 announcement said Ellingson was charged with narcotics-trafficking and money-laundering offenses. The disposition of those charges is not established by the cited records.
What happened in the separate Flush episode?
Curtis Green, a Silk Road administrator known as Flush, was the target in a distinct episode. The Second Circuit says Carl Force, a corrupt federal agent using the name Nob, faked the killing to make Ulbricht believe it had been carried out. Force was not an actual hired killer in this episode; the alleged completed killing was a deception. The Supreme Court appendix also recounts connected corrupt-agent activity.
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchPC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Rank #3
What did Ulbricht’s New York case decide?
A Manhattan jury convicted Ulbricht in February 2015 on seven counts connected with operating Silk Road. Judge Katherine B. Forrest sentenced him to life in prison in May 2015. The Second Circuit explains that the murder-for-hire episodes were introduced as evidence related to the charged conspiracies and criminal enterprise; Ulbricht was not charged in that New York trial with crimes based on ordering those killings.
Maryland separately indicted Ulbricht on attempted witness-murder and use-of-interstate-commerce-facilities-in-a-murder-for-hire charges. An indictment is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. The cited records do not establish the later disposition of that separate case.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How large was Silk Road?
The Justice Department’s 2015 sentencing release described Silk Road as having more than 100,000 buyers and facilitating more than $200 million in illegal goods and services. Those figures describe the marketplace, not the murder-for-hire episodes.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice, 2015 sentencing release — conviction, sentence, marketplace figures, and the six-solicitation summary.
- Second Circuit opinion — trial-evidence episodes, the redandwhite and Flush distinctions, and the court’s statement that there was no evidence the murders occurred.
- U.S. Department of Justice, 2023 announcement — allegations concerning Ellingson and the statement that law enforcement had no evidence of the purported killings.
- U.S. Department of Justice, Maryland indictment announcement — separate attempted-murder-for-hire-related charges.
- Supreme Court appendix — additional account of corrupt-agent activity connected with the Flush episode.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
