Ross Ulbricht, the infamous founder of the Silk Road, has finally been granted a full and unconditional presidential pardon by Donald Trump. This news comes after years of advocacy from the #FreeRoss community and promises from Trump himself.
Initially, Trump had vowed to pardon Ulbricht on his first day in office. However, as days passed and Trump focused on other executive orders and social events, doubts began to arise within the community. Elon Musk reassured supporters of the president’s promise, but the silence from the White House only added to the uncertainty.
Despite some skepticism from certain X users, Polymarket’s binary options had set the odds of Ulbricht’s pardon at 92%, which later shifted to 100% as the news broke that he had indeed been pardoned.
On the evening of January 21, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to announce the pardon. Lyn Ulbricht, Ross’s mother, confirmed the news on Twitter.
This pardon goes beyond what Trump had initially promised, as he had only committed to commuting Ulbricht’s sentence, which would have resulted in his release from prison. With this full pardon, Ulbricht is not only freed from prison but also absolved of any federal guilt for his actions related to the Silk Road.
During its operation, the Silk Road facilitated illegal transactions, primarily involving drugs and firearms, using bitcoin for payments. Ulbricht, who earned transaction fees from these deals, had accumulated a significant amount of bitcoin before the site was shut down by the FBI.
However, while Ulbricht celebrates his newfound freedom, his second-in-command, Roger Thomas Clark, remains incarcerated. Clark, also known as “Variety Jones” and “Cimon,” received a 20-year prison sentence and has not been granted a presidential pardon.
Ulbricht’s release comes after serving a double life sentence plus 40 years, with a pardon being his only hope for freedom. Trump, in his announcement, criticized the length of Ulbricht’s sentence as “ridiculous.”
The news of Ulbricht’s pardon has sparked discussions within the cryptocurrency and legal communities, with many questioning the implications of this decision. As Ulbricht begins to rebuild his life outside of prison, the legacy of the Silk Road and its impact on the digital currency world will continue to be a topic of debate.