Bitcoin entrepreneur Roger Ver has tweeted that he'll contribute $10 for every retweet of his link to support the Free Ross Ulbricht campaign. With 16,675 retweets and counting, he is now at least $166,750 in the hole.
Ulbricht operated the now-shuttered Silk Road website, where users anonymously transacted drugs for bitcoins. He was arrested last October on charges of Money Laundering and drug trafficking, among others. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, from where he sent his photo for the campaign. On the campaign site, Ulbricht writes:
Hi Porcfest, this is Ross. The first thing they tell you when they arrest you is that what you say will be used against you, and they mean it. So I have to keep this brief. I’d just like to thank you for giving my Mom, Lyn, the chance to tell you about the situation I’m in and why the outcome of this legal battle will have a lasting impact on you and the rules you live under in this country. One thing I’ve learned since beginning my tour of the federal criminal justice system is that these guys are not all-powerful. They can be beaten and precedent can be set that will limit their ability to infringe on our rights. I urge you to stand by me and do what you can to turn this horrible situation into a win.
The Porcupine Freedom Festival, or Porcfest, is an annual libertarian gathering organized by the Free State Project. The project calls for at least 20,000 libertarians to migrate to a state with a low population and transform it into a libertarian stronghold. This year, the festival is in New Hampshire, which has a population of roughly 1.3 million.
According to its site, the Ulbricht campaign has thus far gathered $89,972 out of a targeted $100,000. Based on the number of retweets, it seems that there will be no problem reaching the target. The address for donations takes the following form:
Not all twitter users were inspired by Ver's drive, with some noting that original charges also included the solicitation of murder.
Ver is a passionate pro-Bitcoin, anti-government personality whose multiple run-ins with the law culminated with him renouncing his US citizenship. Recently, he launched Passports for Bitcoin, where sells citizenship to the "Bitcoin paradise" of St. Kitts.
