Former U.S. President Donald Trump has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, creator of the darknet marketplace Silk Road, who was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison plus 40 years without parole.
Trump said the punishment was “disproportionate”, and noted that the decision was also influenced by support from libertarian voters during his campaign. He personally informed Ulbricht’s mother about the pardon.
Ulbricht founded Silk Road in 2011 — an anonymous online marketplace on the dark web where users could buy and sell illegal goods, including drugs, weapons, and forged documents, mostly using Bitcoin. He was arrested in 2013 and convicted in 2015. Prosecutors argued the platform enabled large-scale drug trafficking and contributed to overdose deaths.
The decision sparked mixed reactions. Libertarian groups welcomed it, calling Ulbricht a symbol of government overreach, while critics argue the original sentence reflected the severity of the crimes.
via forbes