U.S. President Donald Trump has officially fulfilled his promise to pardon Ross Ulbricht , the founder of the infamous Silk Road darknet marketplace. In May 2024, during his campaign, Trump pledged to pardon Ulbricht on his first day back in office if re-elected. The Silk Road Story Ulbricht gained notoriety in October 2013 as the mastermind behind the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts (DPR). The then 30-year-old Ph.D. student, researching solar cells, was arrested at the Glen Park Branch Library in San Francisco. Authorities alleged he was the brain behind one of the largest darknet marketplaces ever uncovered. Launched in 2011, Silk Road became a sensation for leveraging anonymity tools like Tor and Bitcoin (BTC). It provided a platform for users to purchase items, predominantly illicit drugs like MDMA, without disclosing personal details. More importantly, Silk Road was one of the first large-scale marketplaces to adopt Bitcoin as its primary currency. This played a pivotal role in many regulators linking BTC to illegal activities and tarnishing its reputation as a tool for criminal enterprises. Controversies Surrounding The Case After his arrest, several inconsistencies in the Ulbricht case surfaced. Ross admitted to creating the Silk Road marketplace but claimed he was no longer operating it at the time of his arrest. Allegations of corruption among key investigators further clouded the proceedings. Ulbricht was eventually sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years in prison for seven charges, including narcotics trafficking, distributing drugs online, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The sentencing drew criticism for its severity, especially when compared to Thomas White , the operator of Silk Road 2.0, who received just five years and four months in prison.
