Former Silk Road founder and convicted felon Ross Ulbricht to walk free out of prison after Donald Trump gave him a Presidential Pardon.
Ulbricht’s two life sentences for operating the Silk Road marketplace was conceived to be excessive and on several occassions, there were demands from the crypto community to pardon him.
Ross Ulbricht and the Charges Against Him
Ross Ulbricht was charged with operating a digital black market called the Silk Road. This black market sold illegal items like drugs, and several other unlawful goods between Jan 2011 and Oct 2013.
Ulbricht was sentenced to two life sentences in 2015 and had been serving these terms in prison since 2013.
On several instances, social media had raised voice in support of Ulbricht, asking the US Government to pardon his life sentences. The community had compared Ulbricht’s life sentencing with hardcore criminals who had received light sentences.
Further, with the pardon of Hunter Biden, the convicted son of Joe Biden, the demand for Ulbricht’s pardon grew even more intense.
In the run-up to the US Presidential, pardoning Ulbricht was one of the key demands of the crypto community which Donald Trump had promised to carry on. Keeping his promise, he pardoned Ulbricht on 21 Jan 2025.
What Is a Presidential Pardon?
A Presidential Pardon is an act of kindness where a convicted felon is pardoned and absolved of all the crimes that they have committed. It is usually done for political purposes or where the person is actually deserving.
In the Ross Ulbricht case, there was public demand for his pardon from the crypto community.
