Silk Road's Dread Pirate Roberts walks free as Trump pardons dark web kingpin
(2025/01/22)
- Reference: 1737559811
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/01/22/silk_road_founder_freed/
- Source link:
Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht is now a free man after US President Donald Trump made good on his promise to issue a federal pardon upon taking office.
Otherwise known by his online handle "Dread Pirate Roberts," Ulbricht was sentenced to two life sentences in 2015, plus an additional 40 years, with no chance of parole for his role in creating and running the darknet marketplace between 2011 and 2013.
He was found guilty of seven charges leveled against him relating to drug trafficking, money laundering, computer hacking, and trafficking forged identity documents.
[1]
The news doesn't come as a surprise, however. Trump committed to the first-day pardoning of Ulbricht when speaking at the Libertarian National Convention in [2]May 2024 . The President said the decision to pardon the Silk Road founder was "in honor" of Ulbricht's mother, who had campaigned for his release.
[3]
[4]
"I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] 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," the President wrote on his own social media site, 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!"
[5]
The Libertarian movement is a strong advocate for the use of cryptocurrencies and, generally speaking, anything that promotes the rights of individuals. Silk Road, the first major and defining modern dark web marketplace, was an early adopter of Bitcoin as a method of payment.
Libertarians, cryptocurrency advocates, and certain US politicians have all petitioned the President to pardon Ulbricht in recent years.
Among the more vocal of these politicians is Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who [6]wrote to Trump before the President issued the unconditional pardon reaffirming his support for Ulbricht, claiming his sentence "is vastly disproportionate to his crimes."
[7]
Paul echoed many of the main arguments voiced by proponents of Ulbricht's pardoning in his letter. Those in favor of releasing the Silk Road founder have said previously that his sentence didn't reflect the non-violent nature of his crimes, that he was being punished for the sale of drugs by merely being the creator of the website, and that the actual drug dealers operating on Silk Road received markedly more lenient sentences.
"Our criminal justice system should protect society from violent lawbreakers instead of filling our prisons with nonviolent offenders like Mr Ulbricht," Paul wrote.
"Throughout my tenure in the Senate, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to support over two dozen different pieces of legislation to help bring much needed improvement to our system. I believe Mr Ulbricht's case is worthy of consideration of clemency because of the nonviolent nature of his offenses and his laudable behavior while incarcerated."
The Free Ross campaign describes Ulbricht as "an idealistic entrepreneur who never intended harm."
"He deeply regrets and has taken responsibility for his actions. He has learned his lesson the hard way. If released tomorrow, he would never break the law again."
In 2017, Ulbricht applied to the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, New York, [8]attempting to secure a retrial for what his lawyers argued was an "unreasonable" [9]sentence two years prior . He was unsuccessful.
Concerning the point about others involved in [10]Silk Road , from drug dealers to other site admins, the court said at the time that the fact that other people received lesser sentences doesn't mean Ulbricht's was unreasonable.
Circuit Judge Gerard Lynch, who was part of the three-judge panel that oversaw the appeal, [11]wrote back in 2017 [PDF]: "Ulbricht was the creator and head administrator of the site. That fact alone distinguishes his case from that of any individual seller or employee who used or worked for the site.
"Ulbricht profited from every sale on Silk Road, and he facilitated the acts of each drug dealer and drug organization that used it. Moreover, he attempted to commission at least five murders to protect his criminal enterprise. Those facts render his case distinguishable from those who committed other crimes using Silk Road or otherwise facilitated its operation."
[12]Feds find Silk Road thief's $1b+ Bitcoin stash in popcorn tin, hidden safe
[13]Uncle Sam's legal eagles hope to get their claws on $1bn in Bitcoin 'stolen by hacker' from dark-web souk Silk Road
[14]I helped catch Silk Road boss Ross Ulbricht: Undercover agent tells all
[15]Irish fella accused of being Silk Road admin 'Libertas' hauled to US
Ulbricht was never charged in this case over the alleged order of contract killings, although the US government presented evidence which it claimed suggested his pseudonym, Dread Pirate Roberts, had ordered them. He was separately indicted in Maryland over one murder-for-hire charge but this charge was dropped after his two life sentences in New York were finalized.
Ulbricht's team argued that presenting these facts during the trial, without charging him, unfairly influenced the outcome. The judges were unmoved, however. They said the sentence would have been the same with or without the evidence presented.
The appeal also involved arguing that the Silk Road founder's role was more akin to someone running a crack house rather than selling the crack inside it. The judges dismissed this as it "understates the vast extent of Silk Road's drug market, which had thousands of customers and trafficked in about $183 million in illegal drugs."
Lynch wrote: "We cannot fault the district court for rejecting the argument that Ulbricht's contribution to the narcotics trade was inherently less culpable than that of the dealers who paid him to use Silk Road to complete their transactions."
Ulbricht's team argued that because life sentences are rare and typically reserved for the most egregiously violent crimes, his sentencing was again unreasonable.
Lynch responded that just because life sentences are rare does not mean that it is unreasonable in Ulbricht's case, although he conceded that the argument did have some merit, just not enough to overturn it.
He wrote: "As we have described, the district court carefully considered Ulbricht's offense, his personal characteristics, and the context for his crimes, recognizing that only exceptional cases justify such a severe sentence.
"Although we might not have imposed the same sentence ourselves in the first instance, on the facts of this case a life sentence was 'within the range of permissible decisions' that the district court could have reached."
The first [16]images of a smiling Ulbricht leaving prison quickly circulated on social media, although little has been said from his camp.
The Free Ross campaign's website, which is run by Ulbricht's family, updated the home page stating: "Ross Ulbricht is Free!!! Our immense gratitude to President Trump for giving Ross a second chance and to all those who have supported us throughout the years. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!! – The Ulbricht family."
His family is also now appealing for donations to help Ulbricht reintegrate into society, accepting payment from the likes of PayPal and various cryptocurrencies including, yes, [17]Bitcoin .
The Register contacted Ulbricht's family for additional information but they did not immediately respond. ®
Get our [18]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://au.news.yahoo.com/boos-cheers-trump-addresses-rowdy-004625373.html
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://x.com/SenRandPaul/status/1881825358166827433
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2017/06/01/silk_roads_ross_ulbricht_denied_new_trial/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2015/05/29/silk_road_sentencing/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/29/how_i_caught_silk_road_mastermind/
[11] https://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/15-1815/15-1815-2017-05-31.pdf?ts=1496241010
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/07/us_bitcoin_silk_road/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/05/us_bitcoin_1bn/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/29/how_i_caught_silk_road_mastermind/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2018/07/16/silk_road_extradition/
[16] https://x.com/spectatorindex/status/1881933405837054326
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/16/wales_bitcoin_landfill_lawsuit/
[18] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Otherwise known by his online handle "Dread Pirate Roberts," Ulbricht was sentenced to two life sentences in 2015, plus an additional 40 years, with no chance of parole for his role in creating and running the darknet marketplace between 2011 and 2013.
He was found guilty of seven charges leveled against him relating to drug trafficking, money laundering, computer hacking, and trafficking forged identity documents.
[1]
The news doesn't come as a surprise, however. Trump committed to the first-day pardoning of Ulbricht when speaking at the Libertarian National Convention in [2]May 2024 . The President said the decision to pardon the Silk Road founder was "in honor" of Ulbricht's mother, who had campaigned for his release.
[3]
[4]
"I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] 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," the President wrote on his own social media site, 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!"
[5]
The Libertarian movement is a strong advocate for the use of cryptocurrencies and, generally speaking, anything that promotes the rights of individuals. Silk Road, the first major and defining modern dark web marketplace, was an early adopter of Bitcoin as a method of payment.
Libertarians, cryptocurrency advocates, and certain US politicians have all petitioned the President to pardon Ulbricht in recent years.
Among the more vocal of these politicians is Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), who [6]wrote to Trump before the President issued the unconditional pardon reaffirming his support for Ulbricht, claiming his sentence "is vastly disproportionate to his crimes."
[7]
Paul echoed many of the main arguments voiced by proponents of Ulbricht's pardoning in his letter. Those in favor of releasing the Silk Road founder have said previously that his sentence didn't reflect the non-violent nature of his crimes, that he was being punished for the sale of drugs by merely being the creator of the website, and that the actual drug dealers operating on Silk Road received markedly more lenient sentences.
"Our criminal justice system should protect society from violent lawbreakers instead of filling our prisons with nonviolent offenders like Mr Ulbricht," Paul wrote.
"Throughout my tenure in the Senate, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to support over two dozen different pieces of legislation to help bring much needed improvement to our system. I believe Mr Ulbricht's case is worthy of consideration of clemency because of the nonviolent nature of his offenses and his laudable behavior while incarcerated."
The Free Ross campaign describes Ulbricht as "an idealistic entrepreneur who never intended harm."
"He deeply regrets and has taken responsibility for his actions. He has learned his lesson the hard way. If released tomorrow, he would never break the law again."
In 2017, Ulbricht applied to the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, New York, [8]attempting to secure a retrial for what his lawyers argued was an "unreasonable" [9]sentence two years prior . He was unsuccessful.
Concerning the point about others involved in [10]Silk Road , from drug dealers to other site admins, the court said at the time that the fact that other people received lesser sentences doesn't mean Ulbricht's was unreasonable.
Circuit Judge Gerard Lynch, who was part of the three-judge panel that oversaw the appeal, [11]wrote back in 2017 [PDF]: "Ulbricht was the creator and head administrator of the site. That fact alone distinguishes his case from that of any individual seller or employee who used or worked for the site.
"Ulbricht profited from every sale on Silk Road, and he facilitated the acts of each drug dealer and drug organization that used it. Moreover, he attempted to commission at least five murders to protect his criminal enterprise. Those facts render his case distinguishable from those who committed other crimes using Silk Road or otherwise facilitated its operation."
[12]Feds find Silk Road thief's $1b+ Bitcoin stash in popcorn tin, hidden safe
[13]Uncle Sam's legal eagles hope to get their claws on $1bn in Bitcoin 'stolen by hacker' from dark-web souk Silk Road
[14]I helped catch Silk Road boss Ross Ulbricht: Undercover agent tells all
[15]Irish fella accused of being Silk Road admin 'Libertas' hauled to US
Ulbricht was never charged in this case over the alleged order of contract killings, although the US government presented evidence which it claimed suggested his pseudonym, Dread Pirate Roberts, had ordered them. He was separately indicted in Maryland over one murder-for-hire charge but this charge was dropped after his two life sentences in New York were finalized.
Ulbricht's team argued that presenting these facts during the trial, without charging him, unfairly influenced the outcome. The judges were unmoved, however. They said the sentence would have been the same with or without the evidence presented.
The appeal also involved arguing that the Silk Road founder's role was more akin to someone running a crack house rather than selling the crack inside it. The judges dismissed this as it "understates the vast extent of Silk Road's drug market, which had thousands of customers and trafficked in about $183 million in illegal drugs."
Lynch wrote: "We cannot fault the district court for rejecting the argument that Ulbricht's contribution to the narcotics trade was inherently less culpable than that of the dealers who paid him to use Silk Road to complete their transactions."
Ulbricht's team argued that because life sentences are rare and typically reserved for the most egregiously violent crimes, his sentencing was again unreasonable.
Lynch responded that just because life sentences are rare does not mean that it is unreasonable in Ulbricht's case, although he conceded that the argument did have some merit, just not enough to overturn it.
He wrote: "As we have described, the district court carefully considered Ulbricht's offense, his personal characteristics, and the context for his crimes, recognizing that only exceptional cases justify such a severe sentence.
"Although we might not have imposed the same sentence ourselves in the first instance, on the facts of this case a life sentence was 'within the range of permissible decisions' that the district court could have reached."
The first [16]images of a smiling Ulbricht leaving prison quickly circulated on social media, although little has been said from his camp.
The Free Ross campaign's website, which is run by Ulbricht's family, updated the home page stating: "Ross Ulbricht is Free!!! Our immense gratitude to President Trump for giving Ross a second chance and to all those who have supported us throughout the years. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!! – The Ulbricht family."
His family is also now appealing for donations to help Ulbricht reintegrate into society, accepting payment from the likes of PayPal and various cryptocurrencies including, yes, [17]Bitcoin .
The Register contacted Ulbricht's family for additional information but they did not immediately respond. ®
Get our [18]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[2] https://au.news.yahoo.com/boos-cheers-trump-addresses-rowdy-004625373.html
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://x.com/SenRandPaul/status/1881825358166827433
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Z5EkKgrroCZoV3csRxdl0wAAAIc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2017/06/01/silk_roads_ross_ulbricht_denied_new_trial/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2015/05/29/silk_road_sentencing/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/29/how_i_caught_silk_road_mastermind/
[11] https://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca2/15-1815/15-1815-2017-05-31.pdf?ts=1496241010
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/11/07/us_bitcoin_silk_road/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/05/us_bitcoin_1bn/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2019/01/29/how_i_caught_silk_road_mastermind/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2018/07/16/silk_road_extradition/
[16] https://x.com/spectatorindex/status/1881933405837054326
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/16/wales_bitcoin_landfill_lawsuit/
[18] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Prst. V.Jeltz
Its embarrassing in this case .
Doctor Syntax
Only to those with at least a vestige of conscience.
JUST FUCKING SCUM
Anonymous Coward
see title.
don't want to see any fucking american ever say they stand against criminals ever again.
You are the fucking criminals
dangerous race
The original sentence was stupid harsh, but crimes were committed. Maybe he didn't mean any harm but I suspect Silk Road traders may have allowed people to harm others, or themselves, in some form or other. Releasing Ulbricht now is good. He can go whistle for any financial help tho.
Prst. V.Jeltz
I'm really surprised about this cash plea , makes the family look like grifters . I wonder if Ross U is ok with it - you'd think he'd just be happy to be out. I'm sure his middle class parents can cover the bus journey home and new shirt.
Why Now?
Anonymous Coward
Surely Trump could have pardoned him during his previouse presidency? Or is it only due to the 'support' his campaign was given? Was any of this support finacial and if so, does this constitute bribery?
Re: Why Now?
Prst. V.Jeltz
For some inexplicable reason its not called bribery when you lobby politicians.
Re: Why Now?
phuzz
Depends on where you are. What's called 'lobbying' in the US would count as bribery in most countries.
(Although in this case I doubt Ulbricht's mum did any bribing, other people might have though)
but cartels?!
Omnipresent
The frumpy kingpin specifically stated anybody that donates a billion dollars will get priority.
Crime,
crime,
crime,
felony,
felony,
felony....
There are no more laws. There is no good left. It's only evil, and all the criminals that comes with it.
Re: but cartels?!
dangerous race
You can't spell felon without elon.
sentenced to two life sentences, plus an additional 40 years,
Howard Sway
Always enjoyed the lack of logic at work when reading about US sentences like this being passed. That additional 40 years must be such a drag after having died twice in prison already.
Phones Sheridan
I think we need a new topic called "Trump" on the site seeing as we're going to be reading so much about him in the next 4 years.
This is a tricky one.
IGotOut
The sentence was complete and utter bullshit and the judges were loaded against him.
Part of his sentence was due to him wanting to hire hitmen. The problem is, he was never arrested, tried, nor convicted for that crime. Yet the judge still used that in his summing up. Each judicial body pretty much went "nah can't be bothered".
So it was a complete fit up when it came to sentencing.
But should he be pardoned? Nope
"His family is also now appealing for donations to help Ulbricht reintegrate into society, accepting payment from the likes of PayPal and various cryptocurrencies including, yes, Bitcoin."
Of course they are....
Crowdfunding, so much easier than raffles, bale sales, charity gigs, etc., has helped a lot of deserving people, but it has enabled so much grift.