Donald Trump Pardons Silk Road Creator Ross Ulbricht, Calls Sentence ”Ridiculous”

US President Donald Trump has given a full pardon to Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who has been in prison for 12 years for his role in the creation of the popular darknet marketplace.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright 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 announced in a Jan. 21 post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump Calls Ross Ulbricht Sentence “Ridiculous”

Trump went on to criticize “the scum” that convicted Ulbricht, adding that the parties involved were some of the “same lunatics” who led the government “weaponization” against him. He concluded his post by saying that Ulbircht being given two life sentences plus 40 years was “ridiculous.”

JUST IN: Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht seen out of prison following pardon from President Trump. pic.twitter.com/90zsIL4Ve2

— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) January 22, 2025

Freeing Ulbricht was one of several promises Trump made to the crypto community during his campaign. Trump had promised to give the pardon on his first day in office if he was elected for a second term. However, he instead opted to first pardon the 1,500 people that were involved in the US Capitol attack at the start of 2021.

Pardon Comes Hours After Senator Calls For Ulbricht Release

Yesterday, US Senator Rand Paul sent a letter to Trump calling for Ulbricht’s pardon. Paul noted that Ulbricht’s sentence was much harsher than those issued to many of Silk Road’s users. 

I’m sending @POTUS a letter today asking him to do the right thing and free @RealRossU! pic.twitter.com/yrc3zPx9Nt

— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) January 21, 2025

For instance, Matthew Verran Jones, who was among the top 5% of drug dealers on the platform, only received 6 years in jail. Hours later, the call for Ulbricht’s pardon was answered by Trump.

Bitcoiners have long advocated for Ulbricht’s pardon after the pivotal role he played in the adoption of BTC. Silk Road was the first peer-to-peer platform that let users buy goods, both legal and illegal, using Bitcoin. The petition for his clemency received 607,699 signatures prior to the pardon.

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