KEY POINTS
- Ulbricht is serving double life sentences for his creation and operation of the Silk Road dark web platform
- Trump said Wednesday that he will 'save' Ulbricht, reaffirming his May promise that he will commute Ulbricht's sentence
- The latest polls show that Kamala Harris is leading Trump just four weeks before the presidential election
This week marked the beginning of Ross Ulbricht's 12th year in prison after his laptop was seized by law enforcement in 2013 and he was sentenced to double life sentences without parole in 2015.
Social media was flooded with the free Ross hashtag, and former President Donald Trump, seeking to once again be elected into the White House, reaffirmed his earlier promise to do something for the founder of Silk Road, a darknet marketplace found to have sold hundreds of millions in drugs to customers worldwide.
Who is Ross Ulbricht?
Libertarians and cryptocurrency users, who are strong advocates for freedom of speech and financial privacy, were drawn to Ulbricht's case after he was found to have run the Silk Road dark web marketplace that allowed for digital currency payments.
Ulbricht was found guilty on all seven counts in 2015 for his "operation and ownership of Silk Road," which allowed customers to pay for their purchase of illegal drugs "and other unlawful goods and services" in Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency by market value.
Here it is. The start of my 12th year in prison today.
— Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) October 1, 2024
I intend to make the most of it and use my time wisely.
The Free Ross website notes how the privacy advocate has "both publicly and privately expressed heartfelt remorse for creating the Silk Road website and he accepts responsibility for the mistakes he made."
In 2022, Ulbricht wrote a letter to President Joe Biden, with the purpose of showing the U.S. leader that "I don't need to be kept here for the rest of my life." It is worth noting that Ulbricht has had no records of trouble with the law before the Silk Road unraveling and none of his convictions were related to violence.
Trump Reaffirms Support for Ulbricht
On Wednesday, Trump reaffirmed support for the now 40-year-old Ulbricht. "I will save Ross Ulbricht," he wrote on Truth Social, accompanied by a screenshot of the jailed tech enthusiast's post regarding his situation.
In May, the GOP presidential candidate vowed in front of libertarians that he will commute Ulbricht's sentence "on day one" if he is elected next month. After Trump made the promise, Ulbricht thanked his supporters, saying it is through their "undying support that I may get a second chance."
Last night, Donald Trump pledged to commute my sentence on day 1, if reelected. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
— Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) May 26, 2024
After 11 years in prison, it is hard to express how I feel at this moment. It is thanks to your undying support that I may get a second chance.
While the U.S. president has the power to commute sentences, the race between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is hard to predict at this point. The latest polls show that the Democratic presidential nominee is leading Trump by a few percentage points.
In comparison, earlier polls were quite tight between the two have tied multiple times in the past months. However, come October, the numbers have started flipping. One poll shows that Harris is leading Trump by seven percent (51% to 44%), and another showed that Harris is ahead by 12 percentage points (56% to 44%).
It remains to be seen whether the numbers will flip as Nov. 5 draws near, especially with many crypto users pledging their votes for the business mogul.
How is Ross These Days?
The Free Ross movement said Wednesday that the prison where Ulbricht is being held "is on lockdown," adding that the Silk Road founder and all other prisoners "have been locked in their cells all day for over a week now."
Ross's prison is on lockdown. He and all the prisoners have been locked in their cells all day for over a week now.
— Free_Ross (@Free_Ross) October 1, 2024
We don't know when Ross will be able to call again or when visits will resume. Please keep Ross in your thoughts. #FreeRosshttps://t.co/Z9sIQ1j2hh
The cryptocurrency community has been rallying in support of clemency for Ulbricht. The drive to get the government's attention for Ulbricht's case was particularly boosted by the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who even got a huge Bitcoin donation from a single BTC whale to help cover the expenses for his chartered flight back home to Australia.
