President Trump on Tuesday signed a full pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the scandalous online marketplace Silk Road, fulfilling a campaign promise he made to Libertarian voters.
President Trump posted on Truth Social that he called Ulbricht's mother to inform her of the pardon.
“The scumbags who worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics responsible for weaponizing the government against me in modern times. He was sentenced to two life sentences and 40 years in prison. Ridiculous!'' President Trump posted on Truth Social.
Ulbricht founded Silk Road, which served as an online black market for drugs and other illegal substances such as heroin and cocaine. He was convicted in 2015 on seven charges related to the site, including distributing drugs over the internet and engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.
Ulbricht is sentenced to life imprisonmentAnd his release was a rallying cry for many libertarians. Speaking at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington in May, Trump sought to broaden his appeal by pledging to commute Ulbrichs' sentence by the deadline on his first day in office.
“Ross Ulbricht was a Liberal political prisoner for more than a decade. Saving his life was one of our top priorities, and we are proud that it has finally paid off.” said Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle in a statement Tuesday.
