'Dread Pirate Roberts' Charged In Second Silk Road Murder-For-Hire Plot Over Bitcoin Debt

Ross William Ulbricht, the alleged operator of the encrypted and anonymous "Silk Road" web market for drugs and hit men who used the nom de guerre "Dread Pirate Roberts," has been charged in a second federal indictment alleging he tried to hire a contract killer over his secret network to kill an "employee."

Business Insider has emailed both Ulbricht and his parents for comment. We have not heard back. Ulbricht is believed to be in federal custody following his arrest Wednesday in California.

The first indictment alleged Ulbricht tried to hire a hit man to get rid of a drug dealer who had obtained a list of Silk Road drug customers.

The new indictment, from the Maryland federal district, says that the FBI began an undercover operation against Ulbricht in April 2012.

Following that, Ulbricht came to believe that an "employee" of Silk Road - a site protected by the encrypted Tor network - had stolen funds from him. On Jan 26, 2013, prosecutors allege that Ulbricht asked a Silk Road hit man to deal with the employee. He was dealing with an undercover agent (UC), the indictment claims:

Ulbricht allegedly offered $40,000 for the job, and as far as he knew - according to the indictment - the hit went ahead. The most macabre part is that Ulbricht allegedly asked for video evidence for the torture-murder or the employee:

On Feb. 4, a cash transfer took place, the indictment says.

The feds even went so far as to stage photos of the deceased, the indictment says: