What kind of effect will this have on the Bitcoin economy? Holding so many coins give them immense power over the entire Bitcoin economy, as they'd be able to crash the market whenever they decide to pull the trigger. They may try to sell them off slowly... or maybe they won't. These are bureaucrats we're talking about, who are beholden to a lot of powerful people. Has anyone pondered what would happen to the bitcoin economy once the Ulbricht trial is over, and all the coins are unloaded?
If they sell the coins then the market will crash and then it will recover in an hour or something. If they don't sell then nothing will happen. In any case nothing will happen.