Federal Bureau Of Investigation Ross Ulbricht Silk Road

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

Related to the investigation and prosecution of Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted in 2015 for operating the Silk Road online black market. Specifically, I am requesting the following information:

Records related to the surveillance of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road website, including any logs or reports related to the use of Tor or other encryption technologies by Ulbricht or the Silk Road.

Any records related to the exploitation of vulnerabilities in the Tor network or other technologies to obtain the IP address of Ross Ulbricht or other Silk Road users.

Any records related to the use of informants or undercover agents in the investigation of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road.

Any records related to the cooperation between the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, both domestic and international, in the investigation of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road.

Any records related to the trial and conviction of Ross Ulbricht, including court filings, transcripts, and other legal documents.

Any records related to the sentencing of Ross Ulbricht, including reports or recommendations from the probation office or other government agencies.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Jordan

For Reference on Records

Ross Ulbricht was the founder and administrator of Silk Road, an online black market that operated on the dark web from 2011 to 2013. Silk Road allowed users to buy and sell illegal drugs, counterfeit goods, and other illegal items anonymously using Bitcoin.

In 2013, Ulbricht was arrested by the FBI and charged with money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics. The government alleged that Ulbricht was responsible for facilitating over $1 billion in illegal transactions on Silk Road. The case against Ulbricht was highly public.

Hello this is a new FOIA request and i don't believe was assigned a number as of yet

Subject: Formal Request for Records Under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - Investigation and Prosecution of Ross Ulbricht

Dear Public Information Officer,

Please accept this email as a formal request for records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552.

As an independent investigative journalist associated with TransparencyReport.pw and utilizing the MuckRock platform, I'm requesting access to and copies of all records pertaining to the investigation and prosecution of Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted in 2015 for operating the Silk Road online black market.

For the purpose of this request, the records sought include, but are not limited to:

1. Records related to the surveillance of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road website, including any logs or reports related to the use of Tor or other encryption technologies by Ulbricht or the Silk Road.
2. Any records related to the exploitation of vulnerabilities in the Tor network or other technologies to obtain the IP address of Ross Ulbricht or other Silk Road users.
3. Any records related to the use of informants or undercover agents in the investigation of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road.
4. Any records related to the cooperation between the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, both domestic and international, in the investigation of Ross Ulbricht and the Silk Road.
5. Any records related to the trial and conviction of Ross Ulbricht, including court filings, transcripts, and other legal documents.
6. Any records related to the sentencing of Ross Ulbricht, including reports or recommendations from the probation office or other government agencies.

I request the release of any reasonably segregable non-exempt portions in accordance with 5 U.S.C. § 552(b) if any portion of the requested records is deemed exempt from disclosure. In the event of an entire document being exempt, I request a justification citing specific FOIA exemptions, and provision of an exemption log as per Vaughn v. Rosen, 484 F.2d 820 (D.C. Cir. 1973).

As stipulated by the FOIA, I look forward to your response within twenty business days (5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(A)(i)). If the enclosed fee waiver is not accepted and there are any potential charges exceeding $200 associated with fulfilling my request, please inform me in advance.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Jordan Lassiter
Independent Investigative Journalist
TransparencyReport.pw
Email: Jordan@Lassiter.eu
Phone: 1-845-748-0329

Enclosure: Fee Waiver Request Letter

Please be aware: All communications related to this request, including incoming and outgoing communications, will be publicly available on MuckRock.com. Any correspondence in relation to this request will be instantly published on the platform.