US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a pardon for Ross William Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web trading platform Silk Road.
Ulbricht, who was convicted of running Silk Road, which the Justice Department described as "the most sophisticated and extensive criminal trading platform ever to exist on the internet," was serving a life sentence.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social:
"I called Ross William Ulbricht's mother and told her that I had signed a full and unconditional pardon for her son as a mark of respect for her and the Libertarian Movement, which has supported me so strongly. It was a pleasure for me."
Trump called Ulbricht's sentence "ridiculous" and said it was disproportionate to the crime. He called the law enforcement officials involved in Ulbricht's conviction "idiots" and accused them of being among those responsible for "weaponizing the government" against him during his presidency.
The FBI shut down Silk Road in October 2013 and arrested Ulbricht after he allegedly shared his email address online. He was convicted in February 2015 on a variety of charges, including money laundering, drug trafficking, and computer hacking.
Trump’s pardon fulfills a campaign promise. At the Libertarian Party’s national convention in Washington, D.C. in May 2024, Trump pledged to commute Ulbricht’s sentence on day one if elected president.
“He’s had enough of 11 years. We’re going to bring him home,” Trump said at the time.
Angela McArdle, chairwoman of the Libertarian National Committee, called the decision a significant step toward freeing Ulbricht, whom she described as a “libertarian political prisoner for many years.” McArdle thanked Trump for keeping his promise.
The government alleged that Ulbricht, named after the character "Dread Pirate Roberts" in the popular film "The Princess Bride," founded Silk Road in 2011. The platform allowed users to anonymously buy and sell drugs and other illegal goods and services using bitcoin. According to the indictment, Silk Road had about 1 million registered users worldwide, 30% of whom were in the United States.
Ulbricht was convicted after a four-week trial. At the time, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, described Ulbricht as a "drug trafficker and criminal profiteer" who allegedly caused the deaths of young people.
"Ulbricht went from being an anonymous cybercriminal to becoming the face of cybercrime, and today's sentencing demonstrates that no one is above the law," Bharara said.
The Southern District of New York declined to comment on the pardon decision. Bharara also declined to comment on the matter.
