Trump releases Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht after 11 years in prison
In fact, those murder-for-hire charges prevented the Trump administration from first granting clemency to Ulbricht: The White House in 2020 considered releasing Ulbricht but ultimately rejected the idea because of alleged violent role in the case, according to a former employee. Government officials involved in the process spoke to WIRED on condition of anonymity.
Since then, however, the Trump administration has changed its stance on Ulbricht’s case — perhaps in part because of its support for the libertarian crypto community, to whom Ulbricht has turned. became a martyr and caused a célèbre. At the Libertarian Party National Convention in Washington, DC last May, then-presidential candidate Trump promised to reduce Ulbricht’s sentence “on day one” if re-elected. (In the end, the first day passed without any mercy for Ulbricht, even if Trump pardoned more than a thousand participants during the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol, although Trump ally Elon Musk promised in a post to X on Monday night that “Ross will also be released.”)
It remains unclear what role Ulbricht will play in the free world. Even in his statement to the judge at his 2015 sentencing hearing, Ulbricht never fully acknowledged the harm caused by Silk Road drug sales and still showed little remorse for his actions. his actions in public posts addressed to X, Jared Der-Yeghiayan, a former Fatherland. The security investigator who infiltrated the secretive Silk Road as part of the case against Ulbricht spoke to WIRED in November.
“The idea of him being released doesn’t bother me at all,” said Der-Yeghiayan, who currently serves as head of strategic intelligence at cryptocurrency tracking firm Chainalysis. “It really bothers me if there is now a view that he did nothing wrong, that doesn’t acknowledge the truth of the case.”
However, among some criminal justice reform advocates, Ulbricht has become a classic example of excessive sentencing, especially since he was technically charged with illegal crimes. violence. “Ross has served more than enough time. He was a model prisoner. He is a first-time, non-violent offender. He poses no safety risk to the community,” Alice Johnson, CEO of the justice reform organization Take Action for Good, told WIRED in November. Johnson, himself has spent two decades in prison. century for drug trafficking before Trump commuted his sentence to life in prison in 2018. “I believe Ross’s case will pave the way for many others who have been unfairly subjected to these harsh sentences, be returned home. ”
On Tuesday night, Ulbricht’s supporters celebrated his freedom and expressed gratitude to Trump for his clemency. “Words cannot express our gratitude,” read a tweet from @Free_Ross, an X account dedicated to the more than decade-long effort on Ulbricht’s behalf. “President Trump is a man of his word and he just saved Ross’s life. ROSS IS A FREE MAN!!!!!”
Additional reports by Joel Khalili
