US President Donald Trump has announced that he has granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, a dark web marketplace infamous for selling illegal drugs. Ulbricht had been convicted in 2015 in New York for participating in drug and money-laundering schemes and was serving a life sentence.
Trump, aligning with libertarian views that criticized the conviction as governmental overreach, personally informed Ulbricht's mother of the pardon. Silk Road, known for trafficking drugs, hacking tools, and false passports, operated through the use of Bitcoin and was shut down in 2013 upon Ulbricht's arrest.
Despite being found guilty of drug trafficking, money laundering, and computer hacking, Ulbricht's trial revealed that his website, operating on the hidden "dark web," had facilitated over $200 million in drug sales while also allegedly soliciting murders for hire. Although no evidence of executions was presented, Trump denounced Ulbricht's multiple life sentences as unjust, labeling the prosecutors as "lunatics."
Under the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, inspired by a character in "The Princess Bride," Ulbricht managed the Silk Road, leveraging the anonymity provided by Tor to evade identification. Arrested in a San Francisco library through an elaborate operation in 2013, Ulbricht's imprisonment served as a warning against potential imitators.
Following communal calls for Ulbricht's release due to concerns of government intrusion, Trump's decision was met with approval from allies like Republican congressman Thomas Massie, who praised the President for honoring his commitment to free Ulbricht.