Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht, Citing Government Overreach and Personal Vendetta

Ross Ulbricht, Founder of Silk Road, Pardoned by President Trump

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, an online black market that the FBI once called "the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the internet."

Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for his role in the operation of Silk Road. The website, which operated on the dark web, facilitated the sale of illegal drugs, weapons, and other illicit goods and services.

In a statement posted on his social media site, Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that he had spoken to Ulbricht's mother on his first full day in office. "It was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," he wrote. "The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern-day weaponization of government against me."

Libertarian activists, who generally oppose criminal drug policies, have long believed that government investigators overreached in building their case against Silk Road. Many held "Free Ross" signs during protests and rallies.

The Silk Road site was set up by Ulbricht in 2011 and operated until his arrest in 2013. During his trial, prosecutors said at least six deaths were traced to overdoses from drugs bought on Silk Road. They alleged that Ulbricht collected $18 million through commissions on tens of thousands of drug sales, and presented evidence alleging he sought to have people killed for threatening his business.

Since Mr. Trump assumed office, he has also pardoned about 1,500 defendants convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.