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.
Isn’t the Silk Road drug dealer guy?
Convicted by a jury?
Why is Trump releasing a convicted drug dealer? pic.twitter.com/WmY6vvTBjg
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) January 22, 2025
This is the guy who started the Silk Road dark website which was used the facilitate major global drug trafficking. Was serving life in prison. But when Trump wanted the Libertarian Party endorsement he promised them this. He never heard of Ulbricht. Even spelled his name wrong. pic.twitter.com/DVYzKqxZbT
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 22, 2025
For those idolizing Ross Ulbricht, whom Trump just pardoned, do you really understand who you’re defending?
Ross Ulbricht created and operated Silk Road, an infamous online black market that not only allowed but facilitated the sale of illegal drugs. His site openly profited… pic.twitter.com/YpmWyaOkLg
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) January 22, 2025
If you’re mystified by Trump’s latest pardon, of the Silk Road drug dealer Ross Ulbricht, I covered the trial and wrote a long piece on his libertarianism and the charges that he got a life sentence for, including hiring a hit man to kill a competitor … https://t.co/JQOtO7Rpfa pic.twitter.com/bvtKmkmTE5
— Nina Burleigh (@ninaburleigh) January 22, 2025
Trump just pardoned the biggest white boy drug dealer on the globe – the owner of the Silk Road ‘we sell heroin’ website 😂💀
Me thinks krazy Kash is grasping at straws cause he knows he’s not getting confirmed lol
Many people are saying this chud is a diagnosed sociopath ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/DrdQ0BQakz
— Rachel True (@RachelTrue) January 22, 2025
This convict was serving life for running a covert bitcoin marketplace for cocaine and heroin that killed six, child sex abuse images, and more: Trump pardons Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht https://t.co/0pJUAdG1o3
— Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) January 22, 2025
Why would Trump think that a day 2 priority should be a pardon for a notorious drug trafficker responsible for so much human misery in the US?https://t.co/EqOYY8fc7l
— Tim Kaine (@timkaine) January 22, 2025
Pres. Trump has signed a “full and unconditional pardon” for Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for running the black market site Silk Road, which the FBI called the “Amazon of illegal drugs.”
Read more: https://t.co/TR9i8jR8d3 pic.twitter.com/lJ2y8OodyG
— ABC News (@ABC) January 22, 2025
Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht seen leaving prison after being pardoned by President Trump, after spending over 11 years in prison pic.twitter.com/vJSTy2wWlG
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) January 22, 2025
Trump promised to seek the death penalty for drug dealers, but he just pardoned Ross Ulbricht, mastermind of online drug bazaar Silk Road.
In addition to the online drug market, prosecutors said Ulbricht paid $650k in Bitcoin for a supposed hit squad to kill five people. pic.twitter.com/FNpF8sXFtZ
— gil duran is on bluesky (@gilduran76) January 22, 2025
President Trump just pardoned Ross Ulbricht.
Good.
Ulbricht has served almost 10 years of a life sentence for creating the Silk Road website, where people bought and sold things the government didn’t like. pic.twitter.com/DIvG7keYxo
— John Stossel (@JohnStossel) January 22, 2025
Gangster Government: On his first day in office, Donald Trump set hundreds of violent J6 terrorists free and also Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Road, a defunct illegal marketplace for child pornography and kill hits who tried his own hand at hiring for murder.
Link in… pic.twitter.com/qGhv8Jq1TQ
— Matthew Sheffield (@mattsheffield) January 22, 2025