President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross William Ulbricht, the founder of the infamous Silk Road dark web marketplace.
Ulbricht, who was serving a life sentence without parole on charges related to the operation of the underground website, was convicted in 2015 of money laundering, computer hacking, and drug trafficking conspiracy. Federal authorities described Silk Road as “the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet today.”
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump revealed he had personally called Ulbricht’s mother to deliver the news, citing his gratitude to the Libertarian movement for their support during his campaign.
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“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht 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. The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” said Trump.
Trump criticized the legal system that prosecuted Ulbricht, calling his sentence “ridiculous” and alleging that the individuals involved in his conviction were part of a broader effort to target him during his presidency.
The pardon fulfills a long-standing campaign promise Trump made in May 2024, when he addressed the Libertarian Party’s national convention in Washington, D.C. During his speech, Trump vowed to commute Ulbricht’s sentence on his first day in office, arguing that the young entrepreneur had already served over a decade in prison.
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“If you vote for me, on Day 1 I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to time served,” Trump had declared.
Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, hailed the pardon, calling Ulbricht “a libertarian political prisoner for more than a decade.”
Ross Ulbricht, a Texas native and graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas and Penn State University, founded Silk Road in 2011 under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts,” inspired by the novel The Princess Bride. Ulbricht envisioned the online platform as a libertarian utopia, promoting free-market ideals and personal liberty.
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The site operated on the dark web using Bitcoin transactions and encryption to facilitate anonymous sales of illicit goods, primarily illegal drugs. While Ulbricht’s supporters argue that he aimed to reduce harm and advocate personal freedom, critics assert that Silk Road fueled addiction, crime, and violence.
The FBI shut down Silk Road in October 2013, after authorities traced an online alias back to Ulbricht. He was arrested in a San Francisco library and later convicted on seven charges, leading to his life sentence in 2015.
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