Ross Ulbricht, the mastermind behind Silk Road, is a free man after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 21st granting him a full and unconditional pardon. Trump, 78, announced the decision on Truth Social, sharing that he personally informed Ulbricht’s mother of the news. The president wrote: “I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross.” Ulbricht had been serving two life sentences plus 40 years without parole at a maximum-security prison in Arizona since 2015. His charges stemmed from running Silk Road, a notorious darknet marketplace that facilitated illegal transactions, mostly paid for in Bitcoin a long time ago. Trump called Ulbricht’s punishment “ridiculous” and blamed “leftist lunatics” for what he described as a politically motivated conviction. Ulbricht’s arrest in San Francisco in October 2013 became a watershed moment in the intersection of cryptocurrency and law enforcement. Using the alias “Dread Pirate Roberts,” Ulbricht launched Silk Road in 2011. The platform allowed users to buy and sell illegal goods, including drugs, using Bitcoin for anonymity. Prosecutors accused him of profiting millions in Bitcoin and charged him with drug trafficking, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit hacking. In 2015, a New York jury found Ulbricht guilty on all counts, leading to one of the harshest sentences ever handed down for such crimes. Despite many appeals, including one to the Supreme Court, Ulbricht remained imprisoned until Trump’s unexpected decision. Trump’s pardon followed a letter from Senator Rand Paul, who urged Trump to act. “I write to urge you to follow through on your stated intention to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht. Mr. Ulbricht is serving two life sentences plus forty years without parole for nonviolent offenses related to the website he launched in early 2011. Like so many others, I am shocked by the harsh sentence imposed on this first-time offender,” Paul wrote, describing the sentence as “vastly disproportionate” to the crimes. He added that even the most notorious drug dealers using the platform received lighter penalties. Paul’s intervention is believed to have been a key in Trump’s decision to grant the pardon. The self-proclaimed ‘crypto president’ said, “The scum that worked to convict Trump were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” Land a High-Paying Web3 Job in 90 Days: The Ultimate Roadmap
