Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, creator of dark web marketplace Silk Road. donald trump
Ulbricht was given two life sentences, plus 40 years for running a site that allegedly facilitated $183 million in drug sales.
United States President Donald Trump has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the imprisoned founder of dark-web black market Silk Road.
Trump said Tuesday that he had called Ulbricht’s mother to tell her that he had signed a “full and unconditional pardon” for her son, who was released without the possibility of parole in 2015 for his role in operating an illegal market. Was sentenced to life imprisonment.
“The lunatics who tried to convict him were the same lunatics who engaged in the modern weaponization of the government against me,” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.
“He was given two life sentences plus 40 years. ridiculous!”
Ulbricht, 40, was convicted of seven counts related to the Silk Road operation, which facilitated the sale of illegal drugs and other illicit goods using Bitcoin, including the distribution of narcotics and engaging in a criminal enterprise. .
US prosecutors alleged that the site was used to facilitate more than 1.5 million transactions worth approximately $213 million, including drug sales worth more than $183 million.
Prosecutors also alleged that Ulbricht, who operated under the alias Dread Pirate Roberts, had solicited the murders of people he considered a threat to his enterprise, although the alleged murder-for-hire plot No charges were brought against him and no evidence was presented that anyone was actually killed.
In sentencing Ulbricht, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest said the California man’s actions were his “carefully planned life’s work” and that he was “no better a person than any other drug dealer.”
While Ulbricht admitted to creating Silk Road, his lawyers argued that he had given control of the website to others and was lured into becoming a foil to its true operators.
Ulbricht’s case was held up as an example of government overreach by libertarians and cryptocurrency enthusiasts, who argued that he was unfairly prosecuted because he did not sell the illegal goods himself and was not charged with the site. Being held responsible for the transactions of people using it.
In May, Trump said at the national convention of the Libertarian Party, a fringe party that has no representation in the US Congress, that he would pardon Ulbricht’s conviction on “day one” of his administration if elected.
Following Trump’s election in November, Ulbricht expressed gratitude to those who voted Republican on his behalf.
“I trust them to honor their promise and give me a second chance. After living in the dark for 11+ years, I can finally see the light of freedom at the end of the tunnel,” he said in a post on X.
Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman known for advocating liberal causes, was among many Ulbricht supporters welcoming the news of the pardon.
“Ross Ulbricht has been freed by President Trump with a full pardon! Thank you for speaking up for me and others advocating for Ross’s freedom, Mr. President!,” Massey, who represents a district in Kentucky, said in a post on Twitter.
