25 years’ jail as against two life sentences

Finally the punishment was announced. By the decision of a New York court, Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison for stealing billions of dollars from customers of the FTX exchange and causing the collapse of several companies, which affected thousands of people around the world. .

And although the sentence represents a quarter of a century, we are facing a sentence that is a stark contrast to the sentence received by the creator of the Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, who in 2015 was sentenced to two life sentences, without the possibility of parole, and 40 He was sentenced to one year in prison. , This is the punishment that was imposed on him for creating a black market deep Web which allowed free trading with bitcoin, Without any state interference.

A comparison between two sentences is known as a conjunction. btcandresWho expressed his opinion After the punishment against the founder of FTX became known, among the comments published in X about the punishment against SBF. The same commented Roger Ver, one of the first investors in Bitcoin.

With this in mind, many others believe that the 25-year period applied to the former billionaire is short. Prosecutors in the case were seeking more than 50 years given the magnitude of the crimes committed by Bankman-Fried.

Indeed, according to experts’ calculations, the charges against Bankman-Fried justified a sentence of more than 115 years.

This amount was made last year 13 Considering Criminal Charges The United States Department of Justice charged him. These included crimes such as wire fraud, securities fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and money laundering to conceal the proceeds of wire fraud against customers.

The former director has been convicted of orchestrating one of the largest financial frauds in the history of the United States, defrauding FTX investors and covering up the scheme to personally benefit himself along with a group of his friends.

Judge Lewis Kaplan himself announced the sentence, saying there was a risk “this man will do something very bad again in the future.”

still, Chances that the sentence will be reduced by 50%, Former federal prosecutor Michelle Epner told the media, “If SBF earns all available prison credits for good behavior, he could serve a minimum sentence of 12.5 years.”

is about A possibility that Ross Ulbricht doesn’t haveWhose punishment has been described by many as disproportionate in relation to the crimes committed by the American.

Ulbricht’s disproportionate sentencing and fear of Bitcoin

seven criminal charges United States authorities have charged Ulbricht with crimes including money laundering, smuggling of false documents, computer hacking, and narcotics distribution. He was sentenced to life imprisonment forDespite the fact that calculations indicate that the sum of all these defects There may be a punishment of 20 years Less time than Bankman-Fried was given on 13 criminal counts.

Ulbricht launched the Silk Road Marketplace in February 2011, indicating Your passion for personal freedom and privacy rights, He created the website defending people’s right to buy and sell whatever they want, as long as “it doesn’t harm anyone else.”

Thus it provided users with the opportunity to pay anonymously with Bitcoin. That is why, despite the fact that Satoshi Nakamoto’s currency was marked as being linked to crime through the Silk Road, the community also remembers it. To boost Bitcoin adoption beyond cyberpunk,

But since the site was used to trade all kinds of goods, including drugs and illegal goods or services, Ulrich was caught by the FBI and taken to jail.

As CriptoNoticias reported, it was never detected Who stores, transports, or has any contact with goods and services sold on the Silk Road, However, his sentence is much longer than that of any drug dealer doing business through the platform.

According to many analysts, this disparity in sentencing was due, among other things, to the fear created by Bitcoin. It is worth remembering that in 2015 digital currency was not as popular as it is today, and created a lot of fear,

This fear became clear when the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who was prosecuting Ulbricht, Highlighting the uses of cryptocurrency “As a payment method that promoted anonymity and crime, and endangered the stability of the dollar.” This is how Ulbricht’s hacking allegations appear were enhanced by the use of “sophisticated means”,

It is known that doubts and fears have not completely subsided in 2024, but at the moment we are facing a cryptocurrency that is better known and valued throughout the world, which has acquired a clear geopolitical status. Therefore, the condemnation from the former FTX CEO is not focused on Bitcoin, but merely attempts to “sound a warning.”

As he pointed Today Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the sentence imposed on Bankman-Fried “will deter the defendant from committing fraud again and is an important message to those who may be tempted to engage in fraud. ”