- Elon Musk has announced on X that Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road marketplace, will be released after spending 12 years in prison.
- Donald Trump pledged to commute Ross Ulbricht’s sentence, which would release him from the federal prison in Tucson, Arizona, during his 2024 campaigns.
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and Administrator for the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) under President Donald Trump’s second administration, has confirmed the decision to free Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road marketplace. Responding to a post on X by Wirelyss, Musk stated, “Ross will be freed too,” following a plea that urged Trump to prioritize Ulbricht’s pardon as a top executive order.
Donald Trump promised Ulbricht’s release during his 2024 campaign. At the Libertarian Party’s National Convention in May, Trump committed to commuting Ulbricht’s sentence “on day one” if re-elected. Ulbricht, who became a symbol for Libertarians advocating limited government intervention and internet privacy, has spent over a decade in a high-security federal prison in Tucson, Arizona. Despite widespread support from advocates during Trump’s first term (2017–2021), the president did not take action to release him.
Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), revealed that a presidential pardon for Ulbricht is imminent. Writing on X, McArdle announced, “Pres. Trump’s staff just confirmed to me that Ross’s pardon will be issued late tonight or tomorrow morning.”
A Brief History of Ross Ulbricht
Ross Ulbricht, known as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” founded the Silk Road in 2011, an anonymous e-commerce site that enabled users to trade goods, mainly illegal drugs, using cryptocurrency. Operated on the Tor network, the platform masked users’ locations, earning it a reputation as “the most sophisticated criminal marketplace on the Internet.” Despite its notoriety, Ulbricht’s family has maintained that he was simply an entrepreneur committed to free markets and privacy.
The FBI shut down the Silk Road in October 2013 after nearly two years of operation. Ulbricht, who reportedly earned $13 million in commissions, faced accusations including six murders-for-hire, though no evidence of these killings was found. In 2015, he was convicted of conspiracy to traffic narcotics, money laundering, and other charges, receiving a double life sentence without parole.
Notably, a petition on freeross.org advocating for Ross Ulbricht’s clemency has collected over 600,000 signatures. Supporters argue his life sentence is excessively harsh, with backing from Bitcoin enthusiasts who align with Silk Road’s libertarian principles.
As we reported, the U.S. government recently approved the liquidation of 69,370 Bitcoins seized from the Silk Road. The assets, originally stolen by a hacker exploiting a system flaw on Silk Road, are valued at over $1 billion and represent one of the largest cryptocurrency seizures in history.
The sale of these assets could significantly impact the crypto market and underscore the government’s fight against cybercrime. Ulbricht’s case remains divisive, sparking debates about internet freedom, government intervention, and the balance between privacy and security in the digital age.
