Newly inaugurated President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had issued a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road.
Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 for his role in founding the online marketplace where illegal services and products were sold in an attempt to avoid law enforcement. He created Silk Road in Jan. 2011 and ran it until it was shut down in 2013. His plight has become a favored cause among libertarians.
‘He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!’
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had called Ulbricht’s mother to let her know about the pardon.
“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] 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,” wrote Trump.
Ulbricht was convicted of seven offenses, including distributing narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, and conspiring to commit money laundering. Prosecutors alleged that the transactions linked to Silk Road led to at least six overdose deaths, including a 16-year-old California boy and a 22-year-old from Australia. Ulbricht’s defenders say the deaths were not proven to be directly linked to Silk Road, and he was not charged with their deaths.
“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” Trump continued.
In addition to being sentenced to life in prison, Ulbricht was ordered to forfeit over $183 million.
U.S. attorney Preet Bharara excoriated Ulbricht in a statement released after his sentencing.
“Ulbricht was a drug dealer and criminal profiteer who exploited people’s addictions and contributed to the deaths of at least six young people,” said Bharara. “Ulbricht went from hiding his cybercrime identity to becoming the face of cybercrime and as today’s sentence proves, no one is above the law.”
Trump had promised to commute Ulbricht’s sentence when he spoke at the Libertarian National Convention in May.
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