Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht, Calls Prosecutors 'Scum'

Jan 22, 2025, 12:10 AM

President Donald Trump has granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the darknet marketplace Silk Road. Ulbricht, who was serving a life sentence without parole since 2015 on charges including drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and computer hacking, has now been released. Trump exceeded his previous campaign promise of commuting Ulbricht's sentence by issuing a full pardon. The President reportedly called Ulbricht's mother to deliver the news personally, citing the strong support from the Libertarian movement and condemning the 'weaponization of government'. Trump also criticized the officials involved in Ulbricht's prosecution, referring to them as 'scum'.