- Ross Ulbricht has expressed a belief that he could be “home in a couple of months”
- Ulbricht, founder of the Silk Road marketplace, has been incarcerated since 2013
- Donald Trump promised to free Ulbricht if elected, which he was
Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the infamous Silk Road darknet marketplace, has expressed a hope that he could be “home in a couple of months” thanks to President-in-waiting Donald Trump. Ulbricht is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole following his sentencing in 2015, but Trump pledged to commute Ulbricht’s sentence on the campaign trail. However, Trump also had the opportunity to free Ulbricht at the end of his prior presidency and chose not to, and is notorious for failing to honor promises.
Nearly Ten Years Behind Bars
In 2011, Ross Ulbricht, under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts,” launched Silk Road, a clandestine online marketplace operating on the Tor network. The platform enabled users to anonymously buy and sell illicit items, including narcotics, using Bitcoin as the primary currency.
In October 2013, Ulbricht was arrested by the FBI at a public library in San Francisco after an old email address used on a forum had led back to him. Ulbricht faced charges of money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics, with US authorities contending that he “contributed to the deaths of at least six young people.”
In 2015, Ulbricht was convicted on multiple counts and received a double life sentence plus 40 years without the possibility of parole.
Trump’s Pledge
During a speech at the Libertarian National Convention in May 2024, Donald Trump vowed to commute Ulbricht’s sentence if re-elected. He stated, “If you vote for me, on Day One, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht.” Following this announcement, Ulbricht expressed his gratitude through a message conveyed by his family and supporters, thanking Trump for the potential second chance at freedom.
Ulbricht reinforced this message three days before Thanksgiving:
I’m starting to get used to the reality that I could be home in a couple of months!
— Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) November 26, 2024
Ulbricht might want to temper his excitement, however. Donald Trump is famous for saying whatever needs to be said in order to achieve the goal of the day (in this case getting the conference onside), and there is no suggestion that he will even remember who Ross Ulbricht is when he takes office in January. With much more pressing issues such as immigration to deal with, Ulbricht’s release will be way down the pecking order.
It’s also worth remembering that Ubricht’s name was brought up as someone who could be in line for clemency when Trump left office in 2020, but he was ignored by the outgoing President.
