The man only has one life so I wouldn't expect him to be trying to play a Bitcoin martyr.  The feds are pro's at making people take deals they wouldn't normally take.  The system is so rigged it it is not funny, especially if you don't have a great legal team and the money to pay them..  The fact that he pleads guilty is in many ways a win for the FEDS and a loss for the little guy who got caught in the wrong place and didn't know the right people.