
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the notorious dark web marketplace Silk Road. Ulbricht, who had served over 11 years of his life sentence, was originally convicted on charges of money laundering, narcotics trafficking, and computer hacking.
Silk Road, launched in 2011, operated as a major dark web platform for illegal drug trades and other illicit activities. During its three-year operation, the marketplace generated over $200 million in revenue before being shut down by authorities in October 2013.
The case gained significant attention when the U.S. Department of Justice seized 50,676 Bitcoin in 2021, connected to a 2012 hack of the marketplace. Additionally, James Ellingson, a former Silk Road vendor operating under the alias “redandwhite,” faced charges related to alleged murder-for-hire schemes, though no murders were confirmed to have occurred.
Prior to his sentencing in 2015, Ulbricht expressed remorse, stating that Silk Road was meant to promote individual freedom of choice rather than financial gain. “I believed at the time that people should have the right to buy and sell whatever they wanted so long as they weren’t hurting anyone else,” he wrote in his letter to the judge.
The Ulbricht family has expressed gratitude for the presidential pardon through their “Free Ross” website, thanking both President Trump and their supporters throughout the years.