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Trump called the conviction of the Silk Road founder “ridiculous.”
US President Donald Trump has announced a full pardon for the founder of one of the largest darknet trading platforms, Silk Road, Ross Ulbricht, who was previously sentenced to two life sentences and an additional 40 years in prison for a number of crimes.
As CNN reports, in 2015, Ulbricht was found guilty on the following charges:
- Drug distribution;
- Participation in a criminal group;
- Money laundering;
- Forgery of documents;
- Computer hacking.
Trump noted on his Truth Social network that he personally called Ulbricht's mother to tell her the news. In his post, he emphasized that the decision was made in honor of the Libertarian movement that supported him:
“I just called Ross William Ulbricht’s mother to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian movement that has supported me so strongly, I am pleased to sign a full and unconditional pardon for her son, Ross. The scumbags who worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who participated in the government’s modern persecution of me. He was given two life sentences plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”
The Silk Road website operated on the dark web until 2013, when it was shut down after Ulbricht's arrest. The platform was used to sell drugs and other illicit goods. According to US authorities, the total volume of transactions on Silk Road exceeded $200 million.
During Ross Ulbricht's trial, the defense tried to mitigate his sentence by insisting that he created Silk Road as an experimental project but later passed it on to other people. Ulbricht himself asked the court to show mercy and not sentence him to life in prison.
