Trump Pardons “Silk Road” Dark Web Drug Dealer

Forbes reports:

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he issued a pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison nearly a decade ago for creating the Silk Road, a website law enforcement called the “most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace” on the internet—best-known for sales of illicit drugs.

Ulbricht developed a “deep interest” in libertarian philosophy and joined a libertarian club at Pennsylvania State University, his family said, adding Ulbricht was “passionate about sharing the ideas of liberty, privacy and free markets.”

Ulbricht was accused of soliciting six murders-for-hires in connection with operating the site, though prosecutors said there was no evidence those murders were carried out. Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison in 2015, after he was convicted of seven charges, including distributing narcotics.

Read the full article. Last year Trump spoke at the Libertarian Party’s national convention, where he was harangued by party members to pardon Ulbricht in return for gaining their endorsement, which he got. This is their reward.