US President Donald Trump signs executive orders during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025.
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President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted a full pardon to Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.
A notorious dark web marketplace served as a global hub for the sale of illegal drugs that prosecutors said contributed to the deaths of at least six people.
Ulbricht, 40, has been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole since 2015, after being convicted in federal court on seven charges which include distribution of narcotics and conspiracy to hack computers.
“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to tell her that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which has so strongly supported me, I was pleased to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon for her son, Ross,” Trump wrote in a post for Truth Social.
Silk Road, which operated from 2011 to 2013, served as a marketplace where users bought and sold a mix of contraband, including illegal narcotics like heroin. Platform enabled sales of over 200 million dollarsaccording to federal prosecutors.
At its height, Silk Road functioned as a global drug bazaar, with transactions mostly taking place in bitcoin. This made it one of the earliest large-scale applications of cryptocurrency.
Prosecutors later argued that the anonymity afforded by bitcoin was instrumental in allowing Silk Road vendors to conceal their identities.
In his pardon announcement Tuesday, Trump called federal prosecutors involved in Ulbricht’s case “scum,” linking them to his recent federal and state prosecutions. “He got two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” Trump added.
In the digital currency community, Ulbricht is considered a visionary who pioneered the early adoption of bitcoin. Campaigns to “Free Ross” have gained momentum in recent years, with rallies and online petitions.
When Trump decided to join the crypto community during his 2024 presidential campaign, it opened a window for Ulbricht.
Days after Trump was elected president in November, Ulbricht thanked “everyone who voted for President Trump on my behalf.” post on X which he dictated to his wife from prison.
