Ross Ulbricht, the founder of "Silk Road", was pardoned by Trump, and his first photo was

According to The Block, US President Donald Trump has fulfilled his campaign promise and has officially signed an executive order to pardon Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the dark network Silk Road.

Trump wrote on his community platform Truth Social on Wednesday:

I just called Ross William Ulbricht's mother and informed her that in gratitude to her and strong support for my libertarian movement, I am pleased to have just signed a comprehensive and unconditional pardon for her son Ross. Those scumbags who participated in convicting him are precisely the group of lunatics who have weaponized the government against me in modern times. He was sentenced to two life sentences plus 40 years, which is ridiculous

Ulbricht's family expressed their gratitude through the X account called "Free_Ross", saying that "President Trump is a man who keeps his promise, and he has just saved Ross's life". The account also posted photos of Ulbricht after his release from prison.

The Silk Road was a dark web marketplace that facilitated the sale of drugs and other illegal products and services, and Ulbricht was sentenced to multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole for creating and operating the platform. He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in October 2013 and subsequently convicted in 2015 on multiple charges including participation in a continuing criminal organization, drug distribution, conspiracy to distribute drugs, conspiracy to launder money, and conspiracy to sell false identity documents.

The Silk Road once used Bitcoin for transactions, which promoted the early popularity of the cryptocurrency. However, its association with illegal activities has also led to many criticisms of Bitcoin.

Many Bitcoin supporters believe that the punishment for Ulbricht is too harsh and have been calling for a reduction in his criminal liability for many years. His original intention of creating the Silk Road was rooted in liberal ideals, advocating for free markets and individual freedom, which resonated strongly within the cryptocurrency community.

After the closure of the Silk Road, US authorities seized approximately 174000 bitcoins from wallets associated with the platform, most of which have been auctioned off by the US government. However, before former US President Biden stepped down, there were reports that the US Department of Justice had approved the sale of $6.5 billion worth of Bitcoin seized in the Silk Road case at the end of last year.

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Related reports: "US presidential candidate Trump tries his best to woo liberal voters: will smash Biden's crusade against cryptocurrencies!" "US Department of Justice seized US $3.36 billion of bitcoin related to the Silk Road theft, making it the second largest financial seizure in its history"