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The new US President called the 2015 sentencing of the marketplace administrator responsible for illegal drug sales in excess of US$180 million “ridiculous”.
Just two days into his presidency, Donald J. Trump has pardoned more than a thousand of convicted criminals, mostly those indicted for their participation in the infamous 6 January 2021 riots in Washington DC.
But today (22 January), Trump added another name to that list – Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the first major darknet drug marketplace.
“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honour of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross,” Trump said in a 22 January post to his Truth Social platform.
“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponisation of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”
Ross Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and sentenced in 2015 for his role in the creation and administration of Silk Road, a darknet marketplace only accessible via the TOR network. Drug dealers used the network to sell and deliver drugs and other illegal services to users all over the world, including dealers in Australia and New Zealand.
Ulbricht was charged with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, distributing narcotics, and distributing narcotics by means of the internet. He was also charged with four conspiracy charges related to the distribution of narcotics, computer hacking, money laundering, and false identity documents.
In May of 2015, prior to his sentencing, Ulbricht said the creation of Silk Road was not for financial gain.
“When I created Silk Road I wasn’t seeking financial gain,” Ulbricht said in a letter to the sentencing judge.
“I created Silk Road because 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.
“Silk Road was supposed to be about giving people the freedom to make their own choices, to pursue their own happiness.”
The fact that Ulbricht was in possession of tens of millions of dollars worth of bitcoin at the time of his arrest – all proceeds from the operation of Silk Road – must have been merely a happy coincidence.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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