Key Points:
- President Donald Trump granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace, fulfilling a campaign promise made in 2024.
- Ulbricht, known as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” had been serving a life sentence for operating the platform, which facilitated drug sales and money laundering.
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the infamous Silk Road dark web marketplace.
Read more: Silk Road Founder May Get Pardon With Hint From Elon Musk
Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht
Ulbricht was serving a life sentence for charges related to running the shadowy e-commerce site, which authorities described as a hub for criminal activities.
Ross Ulbricht, also known as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” ran Silk Road from 2011 to its takedown in 2013, all the way selling illegal drugs, among other illegal goods. The anonymous marketplace used cryptocurrency to keep all the transactions private. Police arrested Ulbricht at a public library in California.
Announcing the pardon on his Truth Social account, Trump said he had contacted Ulbricht’s mother personally:
“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.”
Silk Road’s Criminal Legacy Sparks Debate
Silk Road’s operations have been associated with severe criminal ramifications. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the website allowed thousands of drug peddlers to sell illicit drugs to more than 100,000 customers. The site also facilitated the laundering of hundreds of millions of dollars from these sales. ICE also connected drugs sold on Silk Road to at least six fatal overdoses around the world.
The pardon fulfils a campaign promise Trump made in May 2024 during remarks at the Libertarian Party’s national convention. At the time, he pledged to commute Ulbricht’s sentence if elected.
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