President Donald Trump confirmed that he has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder and operator of darknet website Silk Road, which was shut down for illegal activity among users.
"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 strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," he wrote.
Trump also called out the "lunatics" who convicted Ulbricht, saying they were the same people who were involved in "modern day weaponization of government against me."
On X, where many crypto users engage and discuss developments in the industry, celebrations were underway.
The Free Ross movement's official X handle confirmed the news shortly, expressing gratitude to the new president for keeping his promise of freeing Ulbricht, who started his 12th year behind bars late last year.
Anthony Pompliano, a prominent figure in the crypto space, said he expects the Trump administration to now push through with a strategic Bitcoin reserve after Ulbricht was pardoned.
It remains unclear what Ulbricht plans to do after he officially steps out of prison, but in mid-September, his X handle, which has been maintained by his mother since his imprisonment, had the following statement: "I want to use the hard lessons I've learned to make amends as a free man, if I'm given the chance."
Before getting pardoned by Trump, Ulbricht was set to serve two life sentences without the possibility for parole. He was convicted in relation to his creation and operation of the Silk Road darkweb marketplace, where users sold weapons and other facilitated illegal activities.
Originally published in International Business Times
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