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One thing I haven't see in the legal analysis: If Ulbricht is guilty of the things that the defense has stipulated (building and running SilkRoad for some period of time), doesn't that mean he's admitted to most of the relevant charges?

I'm not sure what the "I'm not the kingpin" defense actually buys.

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It depends on the specific acts he's being charged with, if he can create reasonable doubts to that then he's not guilty. 'Operating SilkRoad' isn't a crime, trafficking drugs is.

How are those two things different exactly?

Depending on one's interpretation of common carrier, it's the same as the difference between "delivering email from user a to user b" and "conspiring with terrorists"

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