President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he had issued a pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who was serving a life sentence for creating Silk Road, a website described by law enforcement as the “most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace” online, primarily known for facilitating the sale of illicit drugs.
Key Facts
- Ulbricht, a 40-year-old native of Austin, Texas, graduated from the University of Texas and Pennsylvania State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in physics and a master’s degree in materials science, respectively, according to a website created by his family.
- Ulbricht developed a “deep interest” in libertarian philosophy and joined a libertarian club at Pennsylvania State University, his family said, adding Ulbricht was “passionate about sharing the ideas of liberty, privacy and free markets.”
- In 2011, Ulbricht—who used the moniker “Dread Pirate Roberts”—founded Silk Road, an anonymous e-commerce site on the Tor network that allowed users to conceal their computer’s IP address and hide their locations.
- Law enforcement alleged Ulbricht “deliberately” operated Silk Road as an “online criminal marketplace” and enabled users to trade illegal drugs anonymously.
- At least six drug overdose deaths have allegedly been linked to Silk Road, and Ulbricht was accused of soliciting six murders-for-hires in connection with operating the site, though prosecutors said there was no evidence those murders were carried out.
- Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison in 2015, after he was convicted of seven charges, including distributing narcotics, distributing narcotics by means of the internet, conspiring to distribute narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, conspiring to traffic in false identity documents and conspiring to commit money laundering.
What Is The Silk Road?
The Silk Road was an infamous online marketplace that facilitated the illicit trade of drugs and other contraband by over 100,000 users, laundering hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the Justice Department. Operating across more than 10 countries, including the U.S., Germany, and the U.K., it hosted nearly 13,000 listings for controlled substances by September 2014, prosecutors stated. Before its shutdown following Ulbricht’s 2013 arrest, over $200 million is estimated to have been transacted on the site. By November 2020, law enforcement had seized over $1 billion in digital currency linked to Silk Road, according to the FBI. At the time of his arrest, U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara described Ulbricht as a “drug dealer and criminal profiteer who exploited people’s addictions.”
What Do Ulbricht And His Supporters Say?
Ulbricht’s family has called for his release through the #FreeRoss movement, which was supported by libertarian voters and cryptocurrency supporters. Ulbricht has denied any involvement in illegal trading on Silk Road, claiming during his four-week trial he wanted to “empower people to make choices in their lives and have privacy and anonymity.” Ulbricht’s family has argued prosecutors wrongly held him responsible for what others sold on Silk Road.
Why Did Trump Pardon Ross Ulbricht? Exploring the Motivations
Donald Trump announced via Truth Social his pardon of Ross Ulbricht, who was incarcerated in a high-security prison in Florence, Colorado. Trump stated that those who worked to convict Ulbricht were the “same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponization of government against me.” In an apparent appeal to libertarian voters at the Libertarian National Convention in May 2024, Trump also suggested he would pardon Ulbricht “if you vote for me.” Preston Byrne, a partner at Byrne & Storm, noted to Bloomberg that Trump’s pardon also likely resonated with cryptocurrency advocates who viewed Silk Road as an early use case for the decentralized cryptocurrency, Bitcoin.
