Hey Zcash community,
For the past few years I’ve been here among you, working in the open-source trenches, advocating for privacy, and doing my best to contribute to something I truly believe in. Until now, I’ve kept my past mostly to myself around here. But I think it’s time to be fully transparent.
My name is Blake Emerson Benthall. A decade ago, I made a choice that changed my life forever - I built and operated Silk Road 2.0, the successor site to Ross Ulbricht’s original Silk Road. I believed then, as I do now, that financial privacy is a fundamental right. But I was reckless. I didn’t fully grasp the weight of what I was doing, and I paid the price. The FBI raided my home and my parents’ home. I was arrested, and I spent time behind bars. You can read the full story in The New York Times.
My probation ended one year ago. In the years since my arrest, I’ve worked to rebuild my life, staying true to my core belief that people deserve financial autonomy without surveillance. That’s what brought me here - to Zcash, to this community, to this technology that represents a future where privacy is protected, not criminalized.
I’m proud of what’s been accomplished in our community, and I’m grateful to be a part of it. But I need to ask for something personal.
When I was arrested, my parents put up their life savings for my legal defense. And while my father is retired, my mother has spent years afraid to retire because I’m still paying them back. That weighs on me every single day as a son and as a startup founder trying to build. I want to give her the peace of mind she deserves, and I could use your help.
If cryptocurrency has made an impact on your life - if privacy matters to you the way it matters to me - please consider making a donation. It would mean the world to me and even more to my mom.
I set up a site which allows anyone to contribute Zcash directly to my parents’ Keystone Wallet. Anything helps: benthallfamily.org
In return, I will not apply for additional community grants. I will continue contributing to Zcash as fervently as ever. If you find my contributions useful (Zec.rocks and much more in-progress), I ask that you please contribute to my parents instead of me.
Thank you for hearing me out. And thank you for helping build a future where privacy isn’t a privilege - it’s the default.
With gratitude,
Blake / Emersonian