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Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Release: Key Updates, Timeline, and Expectations

Last Updated
Kurt Robson
Last Updated
By Kurt Robson
Edited by Insha Zia
Key Takeaways
  • Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web marketplace Silk Road, has been granted a full Presidential pardon by Donald Trump, albeit a little later than originally promised.
  • Trump said those who sentenced Ulbricht were “scum.”
  • Ulbricht’s family and much of the crypto industry have celebrated his release.

On Jan. 21, Donald Trump granted a “full and unconditional pardon” to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of dark web marketplace Silk Road, living up to promises he made throughout his campaign trail.

Following Trump’s historic landslide victory, Ulbricht’s family was certain he would be released from jail in January—and all eyes remained on the President to see if he would keep his promise.

Ross Ulbricht Offers First Remarks Since Pardon

On Friday, Jan. 24, Ross Ulbricht took to X  to offer his first public comments since being pardoned by Donald Trump on Tuesday.

In a video message, Ulbricht expressed his immense gratitude for Trump and his second chance at life.

“I was doing life without parole, and I was locked up for more than 11 years but he let me out. I’m a free man now. So let it be known that Donald Trump is a man of his word,” he said.

Ulbricht said there was “a lot to talk about” and looked forward to “re-engaging the free world.”

“Thank you so much, President Trump, for giving me this amazing blessing. I am so, so grateful to have my life back, to have my future back, to have a second chance,” Ulbricht added.

“This is a victory and it’s your victory, too. And this is an important moment for everybody, everywhere who loves freedom and who cares about second chances.”

The freed Silk Road founder said, “We will talk again” once he was feeling up to it—suggesting Ulbricht will have more to say about his initial sentencing.

Ross Ulbricht Freed

Trump took to Truth Social  on Tuesday, Jan. 21, to tell his followers he had made the decision to free the Silk Road founder, who was given two life sentences in 2015 for his role in operating the illegal marketplace.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht,” Trump wrote, informing her of the decision made “in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly.”

He described the pardon as a “pleasure” and took aim at those involved in Ulbricht’s conviction, calling them “the same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponization of government against me.”

Trump criticized the severity of Ulbricht’s sentence, which he called “ridiculous,” pointing out it included “two life sentences plus 40 years.”

Ulbricht’s family, who have been campaigning for his release for almost ten years, took to X to celebrate the news.

 

No Freedom for Ross Ulbricht on Day One

On his first day back in the seat of President on Monday, Donald Trump lived up to his promise of acting with “historic speed and strength” upon re-entering the White House.

From declaring a national energy emergency to boosting fossil fuel production to leaving the World Health Organisation, the newly appointed President has not wasted any time.

However, on day one, Trump’s promise to release Ulbricht was notably left out of his flurry of executive orders.

Elon Musk took to X following Trump’s inauguration to fire back against those questioning why Ulbricht was not released on day one.

“Ross will be freed too,” Musk wrote in response to an X user. 

Trump’s original promise was that he would “commute” Ulbricht’s sentence. This is different from a pardon, as it just reduces the severity of a criminal sentence instead of outright removing it.

As Musk’s X post suggested, Trump decided to issue a full pardon to the Silk Road founder, which has granted him with complete forgiveness and remove all legal penalties.

Polymarket Believes Trump

Crypto prediction platform Polymarket showed immense optimism  for Trump coming good on his promise to free Ulbricht from his life sentence.

Around 92% of betters won the bet that Trump would issue a pardon, commutation, or reprieve to the Silk Road founder by April 29, 2025.

“If it becomes impossible for Trump to issue a federal pardon, commutation, or reprieve within this market’s timeframe, it may immediately resolve to ‘No,'” the site read.

“The primary resolution source for whether Ulbricht is pardoned or not will be official information from the US government; however, a consensus of credible reporting will also be used,” it added.

Donald Trump’s Win Provided Optimism

At a Libertarian convention in May, Trump told the audience that he would commute Ulbricht’s sentence on day one of his Presidency.

Trump following through on his promise, albeit a day later than he originally said, means Ulbricht can now see freedom from his life sentence currently being served at a high-security federal prison in Tucson, Arizona.

The landmark win for Trump saw Ulbricht express optimism regarding his possible release.

“Immense gratitude to everyone who voted for President Trump on my behalf. I trust him to honor his pledge and give me a second chance,” Ulbricht wrote on X . “After 11+ years in darkness, I can finally see the light of freedom at the end of the tunnel. Thank you so much.”

This positivity was also shared amongst his family, who claimed Ulbricht would be released in January.

Who Is Ross Ulbricht?

Texas-born Ulbricht, going under the moniker “Dead Pirate Roberts,” founded the controversial anonymous e-commerce site Silk Road in 2011.

According to his LinkedIn page, Ulbricht envisioned the site as a “means to abolish the use of coercion and aggression amongst mankind.”

The website, accessible only on the dark web, allowed users to buy and sell goods with cryptocurrency, completely removing any paper trail to transactions.

However, when the FBI shut down Silk Road in October 2023, the site was mainly being used to sell illicit goods – including drugs, weapons, and illegal services.

Ulbricht, who claimed to have not participated in the illicit activity, made $13 million in commissions from illegal sales on the Silk Road website.

Law enforcement alleged that Ulbricht had hired six murders-for-hire while running the site but found no evidence the murders actually occurred.

At its height of popularity, Silk Road was used by over 100,000 users, and over $200 million was spent on transactions.

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Kurt Robson

Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN with a diverse background across several prominent news outlets. Having transitioned into the world of technology journalism several years ago, Kurt has developed a keen fascination with all things AI. Kurt’s reporting blends a passion for innovation with a commitment to delivering insightful, accurate and engaging stories on the cutting edge of technology.
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