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NYC Judge Presiding Over 'Silk Road' Case Receiving Online Death Threats

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A Manhattan federal judge presiding over the case against Ross Ulbricht, accused founder of Silk Road, is now the subject of online death threats.

As WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported, the family of Ulbricht is now condemning the website; Ulbricht's mother posted a statement online saying Ross and his family are horrified at the threats made to Judge Katherine Forrest, saying the threats are outrageous and reprehensible.

NYC Judge Presiding Over 'Silk Road' Case Receiving Online Death Threats

The anonymous threats appeared to a website called HiddenWiki. One of them reads, "I hope some drug cartel that lost a lot of money with the seizure of Silk Road will murder this lady and her entire family."

U.S. Marshals are aware of the threat and are investigating.

Ulbricht is charged with deliberately operating Silk Road as an online criminal marketplace designed to use a Bitcoin-based payment system to conceal the identities and location of users.

He was accused of drug trafficking, computer hacking, money laundering and running a continuing criminal conspiracy for his role in operating the black market site.

A top executive of a Manhattan-based Bitcoin company and a Florida Bitcoin exchanger have also been charged with conspiring to commit money laundering by selling more than $1 million in Bitcoins to users of the black market website Silk Road, which let users buy illegal drugs anonymously, authorities said Monday.

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