TOPSHOT – People hold signs that say “Freedom Ross” as former US President and Republican … [+]
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The surprise full pardon comes after Senator Rand Paul highlighted the disparity in sentencing and amid long-standing support from the cryptocurrency community. In a dramatic turnaround just one day after his inauguration, President Donald Trump announced a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the early founder of Bitcoin. Silk Road Market who was serving two life sentences plus 40 years.
Presidential action follows Senate appeal
The pardon came hours after Senator Rand Paul A Persuasive speech to the White House, highlighting the stark disparities in sentencing in this case. While Ulbricht received two life sentences, top drug sellers on the platform received much lighter sentences — some as long as five or six years, Paul noted. The senator also emphasized Ulbricht’s status as a nonviolent first-time offender and his exemplary behavior in prison, where he taught math, science and yoga classes.
Trump cites government overreach
Trump announced the pardon through his social media account, revealing that he personally called Ulbricht’s mother to inform her of the news. In his statement, Trump criticized what he called “the scum that worked to convict him,” and compared Ulbricht’s trial to the legal challenges he faces, describing it as part of “the weaponization of the government in the modern era.”
Liberal political prisoner
The pardon renews interest in controversial aspects of the Ulbricht case. Several federal agents involved in the Silk Road investigation were later convicted of corruption, including two who were arrested for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Bitcoin during the investigation. Senator Paul’s letter also noted that federal prosecutors’ claims of murder-for-hire were ultimately dismissed with prejudice by a US district court in 2018. “Ross Ulbricht has been a libertarian political prisoner for more than a decade,” National Libertarian Committee Chair Angela McArdle said. Time. “.
A victory for cryptocurrency advocates
The issue was of particular interest to the cryptocurrency community, as Silk Road represented one of the first major use cases for Bitcoin, although it eventually became notorious for illegal transactions. The investigation itself highlighted early challenges in enforcing cryptocurrency law, as corruption by investigating agents raised questions about the government’s handling of digital assets. Trump’s pardon goes beyond his original campaign promise of a commutation, which would have merely ended Ulbricht’s imprisonment. Instead, the full pardon clears his record of federal convictions related to the Silk Road. As Ulbricht prepares for the release, the cryptocurrency community largely celebrated the move as a correction for what many saw as a disproportionate punishment during the early days of Bitcoin adoption. The case has long been viewed as a cautionary tale about government overreach in the digital assets space, with the severity of Ulbricht’s original sentence in stark contrast to the more lenient treatment of other defendants highlighted in Senator Paul’s letter.
