Ross Ulbricht receives full pardon from Donald Trump, calls double-life sentence ‘ridiculous’

Ulbricht's life sentence ends with Trump’s unprecedented pardon.

Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.

Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace, has been granted a full and unconditional pardon by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The move brings an end to Ulbricht’s life sentence, a punishment he received for creating and operating Silk Road, an online platform infamous for facilitating illegal activities. The pardon, viewed as a life-saving decision for Ulbricht, comes as a significant relief to his supporters and many in the crypto community who have long advocated for his release.

Trump shared on Truth Social:

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright 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. The scum that worked to convict him 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!”

Despite Trump’s earlier promises during his campaign, the pardon had not been officially issued until now, leaving Ulbricht’s supporters anxiously waiting for this pivotal moment. The decision marks a turning point in a case that has sparked intense debate about justice, the limits of government surveillance, and the ethics of the dark web.

Betting platforms like Polymarket have shown high confidence, with a 99% chance that Trump would pardon Ulbricht within the first 100 days of his administration, indicating strong market belief in the fulfillment of Trump’s promise.

The crypto community, which has closely followed Ulbricht’s case due to Silk Road’s role in early Bitcoin adoption, remains optimistic about the impact of this development. Ulbricht’s release is expected to reignite discussions about the balance between innovation and regulation in the rapidly evolving crypto world.

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