Trump Pardons Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht

In 2015, a 31-year-old yoga enthusiast from Austin named Ross Ulbricht was found guilty of being the online drug kingpin “Dread Pirate Roberts.” Convicted on 7 counts, the judge sentenced him to life in prison. Trump pardoned Ulbricht on Tuesday and now he’s a free man after more than 10 years in custody.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “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. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”

Under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts,” Ulbricht ran a drug empire through the dark web site Silk Road. It was a time when it felt like the computer could do anything and one thing it was really great at was facilitating illegal drug markets. If you knew what you were doing at the time, buying LSD, heroin, or other street drugs from online sellers was as easy as clicking a button and finding a trusted PO BOX.

To hear prosecutors tell it, Ulbricht was the brains behind the whole thing. He was a drug kingpin, a brutal crime lord who facilitated murder for hire and would go to any lengths to protect his burgeoning digital criminal enterprise. The charges included money laundering, drug trafficking, and computer hacking.

Ulbricht’s trial hasn’t sat right with many. The prosecutors made it seem as if the Silk Road was more violent than a typical illegal drug market. In truth, it was far safer. A rating system, online forum with active community members, and various other features made the Silk Road a place where drug dealers had to build reputations of truth with customers and rarely met face to face.

Controversial at the time, as the Drug War has cooled off, Ulbricht’s trial has felt less and less like justice. Weed is legal in most of the country. Hallucinogens are routinely used in therapy and some communities have experimented with laissez-faire drug laws. Ulbricht going to jail didn’t end the digital drug trade. It didn’t seem to have any effect at all. It’s easier than ever to buy illegal drugs online.

Trump had long promised to free Ulbricht and Elon Musk hinted that it would be soon after he took office. Less than a day after the inauguration, he made good on his word. On X, an account associated with the movement to release Ulbricht tweeted a picture of the Dread Pirate Roberts as he walked across a parking lot in sweats. Newly freed, he smiled into the camera, clutching a little plant growing in a styrofoam cup.