President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has granted a Presidential Pardon to Ross Ulbricht founder of Silk Road.
Silk Road is a Bitcoin-powered dark web marketplace shut down by the FBI in 2013 over accusations of facilitating money laundering, Drug peddling, and all manner of illicit activities.
“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Donald Trump made a promise to the crypto community during his campaign days to free Ross Ulbricht who he believes was unjustly sentenced to two life sentences.
He fulfilled that promise yesterday adding to several pro-crypto steps his administration has taken in its first few days.
The Free Ross Movement
The Free Ross movement is a campaign advocating for the release of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the darknet marketplace Silk Road.
The movement argues that Ulbricht’s life sentence without parole, handed down in 2015, is excessively harsh and calls for clemency or a reduction in his sentence.
Ross was arrested in October 2013 and, in 2015, convicted on charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering, computer hacking, and drug trafficking. He was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years without the possibility of parole.
Over 630,000 people have signed the petition on FreeRoss.org, calling on U.S. presidents to grant Ulbricht clemency.
The petition emphasizes justice reform, contrasting Ulbricht’s punishment with leniency for others who committed worse crimes.
The Free Ross movement was heavily promoted by celebrities and top crypto voices which led to the movement going mainstream.
A Promise Kept
Donald Trump fulfilled his promise of pardoning Ross Ulbricht on his first day in office. The 47th president of the United States pledged in remarks to the Libertarian Party’s national convention in Washington, DC, to commute Ulbricht’s sentence immediately upon taking office.
If you vote for me, on Day 1 I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to a sentence of time served,” Trump said at the time. “He’s already served 11 years. We’re going to get him home.”
The Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle acknowledged and celebrated the announcement by Trump yesterday calling Ulbricht a libertarian political prisoner for more than a decade.
The Silk Road was used by bad actors to sell hard drugs, launder money, and commit all manner of illicit activities.
The Site received payments in Bitcoin and amassed nearly 1 million users across the world. It was shut down by the FBI in 2013.
