Trump Grants Full Pardon to Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht

In a significant move, President Donald Trump announced that he has granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road marketplace.

Trump shared the news in a statement, revealing that he personally called Ulbricht’s mother to inform her of the decision, which he described as a tribute to her and the Libertarian movement that strongly backed his presidency.

“Ross was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” Trump said, criticizing the severity of the punishment. He also denounced the prosecutors involved in the case, alleging that they were part of the same forces he believes have targeted him through what he called the “modern-day weaponization of government.”

Ulbricht, convicted in 2015 for creating and operating Silk Road—a darknet marketplace where illegal goods were bought and sold using Bitcoin—had been serving a double life sentence without the possibility of parole. The case has been a rallying cry for Libertarians and digital rights activists, who argue that the punishment was excessively harsh and that Ulbricht was made a scapegoat for broader issues in online marketplaces.

Trump’s decision has already sparked widespread debate, with supporters praising it as a victory for justice and critics questioning the implications of the pardon. Ulbricht’s release marks a turning point in one of the most controversial cases in the intersection of technology and law enforcement.