DIGIVESTASI – Ross Ulbricht, the former operator of Silk Road, has been officially released after President Donald Trump signed an unconditional full pardon. The announcement was made directly by Trump through his personal account on the Truth Social platform. In his post, Trump mentioned that he had personally contacted Ulbricht’s mother to deliver the decision.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to inform her that, in honor of her and to respect the support of the Libertarian Movement, I have signed a full pardon for her son,” Trump wrote on Tuesday (01/22/2025).

Ulbricht was previously sentenced to two life imprisonments plus 40 years without parole—a punishment widely regarded as excessively harsh for his crimes. He had been serving his sentence in a maximum-security prison in Arizona since 2015 for his involvement in Silk Road, an online black market that utilized Bitcoin for illegal transactions.

Trump strongly criticized the sentence, calling it “ridiculous” and accusing the case of being politically motivated.

Ulbricht was arrested in San Francisco in 2013 during a major operation that marked a significant milestone in cybercrime history. Under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts," he launched Silk Road in 2011, a platform that facilitated transactions for illegal goods, including narcotics.

Prosecutors alleged that Ulbricht earned millions of dollars in Bitcoin from Silk Road's operations. He was convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering, and hacking conspiracy. Data showed that Silk Road handled over 9.5 million transactions with a total value exceeding USD 1.2 billion and generated approximately USD 80 million in commissions.

In 2015, a New York court found Ulbricht guilty on all charges and imposed one of the harshest sentences for non-violent crimes. Appeals, including a petition to the Supreme Court, were all denied until Trump’s pardon dramatically altered the course of the case.

Trump’s decision to grant clemency was influenced by an open letter from Senator Rand Paul, a prominent Libertarian, published on platform X on January 22, 2025. In the letter, Rand Paul urged Trump to ease Ulbricht’s sentence, which he deemed unfair.

“Ross Ulbricht is serving two life sentences plus forty years without parole for non-violent offenses. Like many others, I am shocked by the severity of the punishment imposed on this first-time offender,” wrote Rand Paul. He also highlighted that major drug dealers on Silk Road received significantly lighter sentences despite committing more severe crimes.

In his statement, Trump claimed that political pressure played a role in the legal proceedings of this case. He described Ulbricht’s sentence as a form of “political vengeance,” which he likened to his own experiences.

“The people who sought to punish him are the same deranged individuals who have abused government power against me. He was given two life sentences plus 40 years. Ridiculous!” Trump wrote.

The pardon of the founder of one of the largest online black markets has sparked mixed reactions. Ulbricht’s supporters praised Trump’s action as a step toward correcting an injustice, while critics viewed the decision as inappropriate.