President Donald Trump granted a full pardon on Tuesday to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road.
The infamous dark web marketplace served as a global hub for illicit drug sales that prosecutors said had contributed to the death of at least six people.
Ulbricht, 40, had been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole since 2015, after he was convicted in federal court on seven charges that included distributing narcotics and conspiring to commit computer hacking.
“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,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.
Silk Road, which operated from 2011 to 2013, served as an marketplace where users bought and sold a mix of contraband, including illegal narcotics like heroin. The platform facilitated over $200 million in sales, according to federal prosecutors.
At its peak, Silk Road functioned as a global drug bazaar, with transactions conducted largely in bitcoin. This made it one of the earliest large-scale applications of a cryptocurrency.
Prosecutors later argued that the anonymity afforded by bitcoin was instrumental in allowing Silk Road vendors mask their identities.
In his pardon announcement Tuesday, Trump referred to the federal prosecutors involved in Ulbricht’s case as “scum,” linking them to his recent federal and state prosecutions. “He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” Trump added.
In the digital currency community, Ulbricht is seen as a visionary who pioneered bitcoin’s early adoption. Campaigns to “Free Ross” have gained momentum in recent years, with rallies and online petitions.
When Trump decided to align himself with the crypto community during his 2024 presidential campaign, it opened a window for Ulbricht.
A few days after Trump was elected president in November, Ulbricht thanked “everyone who voted for President Trump on my behalf” in a post on X that he dictated to his wife from prison.