Key Takeaways
- Trump granted a full pardon to Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.
- Ulbricht had been serving two life sentences for running the dark web marketplace.
- Libertarians and Sen. Rand Paul supported the clemency, citing disproportionate sentencing.
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace.
Ulbricht, now 40, had been serving two life sentences plus 40 years in an Arizona maximum-security prison following his 2015 conviction.
Trump revealed the clemency on Truth Social, stating:
I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] 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.
He criticized Ulbricht’s harsh sentence, calling it:
Ridiculous
The pardon fulfills a pledge Trump made during his 2024 campaign to reduce Ulbricht’s sentence.
Libertarians, who view Ulbricht as a free-market pioneer, had championed his release, with supporters displaying “Free Ross” signs at events.
Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 for running Silk Road under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.”
The website facilitated drug sales and other illicit activities using Bitcoin as payment.
Despite appeals up to the Supreme Court, his convictions for drug trafficking, money laundering, and computer hacking had remained intact.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) advocated for the pardon, calling Ulbricht’s sentence “vastly disproportionate to his crimes.”
He argued that many individuals involved in Silk Road received significantly lighter penalties.
The White House has not issued additional comments on the pardon.
