imho it was as a show of force. To deter anybody in a similar situation from taking the same stance against the U.S. government in the future.

The relentless legal troubles of the lavabit case closely mimic the troubles of Joseph Nacchio (who refused NSA wiretapping while he was CEO of Qwest) [0]

[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Nacchio#Qwest