The Silk Road Mastermind Appealed His Life Sentence

Ross Ulbricht, convicted ringleader of the drug trafficking website Silk Road, is appealing his conviction and lifetime sentence.

The appeal was submitted to the United States District Court in Southern New York on Monday, Motherboard reports.

Ulbricht was convicted by a Manhattan federal jury in February on all seven counts, which included narcotics and money laundering conspiracies. He was sentenced to life in prison last month, though federal guidelines stated he could have served as few as twenty years.

Ulbricht’s sentencing has sparked protests from proponents of Internet freedom, Vice notes, including movie star Russell Brand, who argued that Ulbricht was merely achieving the “American Dream.”