Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Walks Free After Trump Pardon

Summary: On January 21 of this year, former US President Donald Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the infamous Silk Road, for his alleged ‘ridiculous’ life imprisonment. He was set free on that night after serving 12 years in prison. Elon Musk tweeted, “Honored to witness this historic moment.”.

Ulbricht is the founder of Silk Road back in 2011; he was arrested in 2013 for operating the dark web platform responsible for facilitating drug transactions, weapon sales, and other criminal activities using Bitcoin. His sentencing of 40 years plus two life terms has long been debated by members of the crypto community. The activist Amir Taaki and the venture capitalist Tim Draper also voiced support for freeing him from prison.

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Trump’s pardon came after lobbying from Ulbricht’s mother and support from the Libertarian Movement; thus, it was a strategic move to win over the crypto community, which sees Ulbricht as a Bitcoin pioneer. Trump announced the pardon via Truth Social, stating the sentence was “crazy.

Ulbricht’s presence in Bitcoin was undeniable. Whatever the controversial activities he did, certainly he was the pioneer who showed Bitcoin’s potential and capability beyond what the traditional system can offer. This release brought about mixed feelings as debates on justice, freedom, and crypto’s position toward the future did.

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Sahil Poudel

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