President Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of notorious 2010s drug trafficking website Silk Road, on Tuesday.
Ulbricht, 40, was serving a life sentence in federal prison following his 2015 conviction on numerous charges including drug trafficking and money laundering.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump, 78, had announced his plans to pardon Ulbricht during a speech at the Libertarian National Convention in May 2024 while he was on the campaign trail.
Libertarians have supported Ulbricht’s cause for years, as it fit neatly into their arguments against government overreach and drug laws of any kind.
In 2011, Ulbricht founded the underground website Silk Road, which quickly became a flourishing marketplace for anyone who wanted to buy cocaine, heroin or other illegal drugs over the internet.
Federal agencies raced to take it down, but Ulbricht — operating under the screen name “Dread Pirate Roberts” — remained one step ahead until 2013. During that time, the site did $200 million in business and made Ulbricht rich.
But at trial, Ulbricht was convicted on all counts and then-Manhattan Federal Court Judge Katherine Forrest dropped the hammer, sentencing him to life in prison.
“You are no better a person than any other drug dealer,” she told Ulbricht.
Trump has made expansive use of his pardon powers during his first three days in office, clearing the sentences of more than 1,400 people involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
With News Wire Services
