President Trump Pardons Austin Native Ross Ulbricht, Founder of Silk Road

Ross Ulbricht, an Austin native who received a life sentence for establishing Silk Road, a notorious dark web marketplace, has been granted a presidential pardon by Donald Trump. The announcement was made on Tuesday, almost ten years following Ulbricht’s conviction in 2015.

At the age of 40, Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and faced charges for creating and operating the Silk Road, a digital marketplace for illegal drugs and other illicit materials. Operating under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts," Ulbricht was found guilty on seven charges, which included distributing narcotics and conspiring to commit computer hacking while utilizing cryptocurrency. He received two life sentences along with three additional sentences that carry no possibility of parole.

Federal prosecutors also alleged his involvement in several murder-for-hire plots, although he was never charged with these allegations. Ulbricht’s defense contended that the evidence presented was inadequate and that he had been unfairly targeted as a scapegoat for the operations of the Silk Road.

President Trump stated that he granted a pardon to Ulbricht following a conversation with his mother, Lyn Ulbricht, describing his sentence as “ridiculous.” Libertarian activists have consistently advocated for Ulbricht’s release, claiming that government investigators exceeded their bounds in their pursuit of him. Trump’s pardon comes after a commitment he expressed at the 2024 Libertarian Party National Convention, where “Free Ross” signs were prominently displayed.

Ulbricht was released on Tuesday night from a federal prison in Arizona, where he had been serving his sentence. Opponents of the pardon contend that Ulbricht’s actions caused considerable damage, whereas advocates view his release as a triumph over what they see as judicial overreach.

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