Former US President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, who has been in prison for 12 years for creating the Silk Road, a darknet marketplace.
“I just spoke with Ross Ulbricht’s mother to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, I have signed a full and unconditional pardon for her son,” Trump announced on his Truth Social platform on Jan. 21. He described Ulbricht’s original sentence—two life terms plus 40 years—as “ridiculous.”
Ulbricht, arrested in 2013 and sentenced in 2015, was accused of running the Silk Road, which facilitated anonymous trade using Bitcoin, often for illicit purposes. Trump’s pardon fulfills a promise he made to the crypto community during his campaign, where he pledged to free Ulbricht if reelected.
The move came after significant advocacy from Ulbricht’s supporters, including Senator Rand Paul, who urged clemency in a letter shortly before the announcement. The Bitcoin community has long debated Ulbricht’s role in the adoption of Bitcoin. While his platform helped popularize the cryptocurrency, it also attracted controversy for enabling illegal transactions.
Bitcoin programmer Amir Taaki credited Ulbricht’s work, saying, “Crypto became big because of him. He made the ultimate sacrifice, and we all benefitted.” Similarly, billionaire investor Tim Draper argued in 2019 that Ulbricht’s entrepreneurial vision was vital for innovation.
While opinions on Ulbricht remain divided, his pardon highlights the ongoing tension between cryptocurrency’s potential and its association with illicit activities.
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