- Despite losing $18.4 billion worth of Bitcoins to the Government, Ross Ulbricht is still a millionaire.
- In 2011, when Silk Road was in full momentum, the price of Bitcoin was around $0.48.
- Ross probably forgot Bitcoin worth 430 BTC in different wallets after the government seized 171,993 Bitcoins from it.
- In today’s market, these Bitcoins are worth $47 million.
Ross Ulbricht Still Has $44 Million Worth of Bitcoins
A look at Ross’s different wallets reveals that they still contain around 430 Bitcoins worth $47 million. These wallets were tracked back to Ross Ulbricht, but it is unknown whether he still controls them.
Further, Ross has also received a $111k donation from Kraken based on goodwill. Finally, a few other donations from users took the Kraken donation further to $260k.
Ross had been released from prison after serving almost 12 years due to a Presidential pardon by Donald Trump. His release was one of the primary demands from the crypto community, and it signaled the impact of the combined voice of the entire market.
Before the US elections, Donald Trump promised Ross would be pardoned if he became President. Keeping his promises, Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht on the second day after assuming his office.
Ross Would Have $18.4 Billion Rich if He Hadn’t Been Caught
In two instances, the US government seized 173,991 Bitcoins (today valued at $18.4 billion) from Ross Ulbricht. The government had seized around 50,676 Bitcoins (valued at $5.35 billion today) from the Silk Road hacker, and the rest were directly confiscated from Ross’s wallets.
During a hearing in 2022, Ross’s attorneys and prosecution had agreed that Ross would relinquish his control over the Bitcoins that the government confiscated from the Silk Road hacker.
The US government recently auctioned these Bitcoins along with a few other Bitcoins seized directly from Ross. Put together, the US government sold nearly $6.5 billion worth of coins just two days before Donald Trump took over as President. Had Trump been the President, he would have likely sent them to build the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, which was recently put into shape by an executive order on 23 January 2025.
Ross’s Future Ahead
Before his incarceration, Ross Ulbricht was one of the accomplished PHP developers. Today, PHP is widely used as the most sought-after website development programming language, supporting over 70% of websites on the Internet, which makes his skills relevant as before his incarceration, if not more.
Further, Ross’s venture, Silk Road, was one of the pioneering organizations that used Bitcoin as a payment method, starting as early as 2011. As of 2025, even major corporate businesses have failed to achieve this. This could help Ross take advisory roles in many projects.
Finally, Ross’s wide popularity has made him an internet celebrity. Upon his release, he would be highly sought after for podcasts, shows, and crypto events as a guest.
All of these, put together, would help Ross become relevant in the crypto world again. However, it is less likely that he would become as rich as he would have been if he hadn’t been jailed. Ross’s net value would have exceeded $18.4 billion if his Bitcoins were not seized.
Can Ross Legally Claim His $18.4 Billion?
Ross has relinquished control over his fortune, meaning he cannot claim back those Bitcoins. Further, after much effort, he achieved his pardon, which was the biggest relief he could have ever considered.
Hence, it becomes more important to know whether he wants to claim, given his recent relief from something that almost doomed his life.
Disclaimer: The research/news presented by https://thelayer.cloud is presented for the purpose of education and knowledge and should not be considered otherwise. Please consult your financial advisor before trading or investing.
