Those murder-for-hire allegations actually dissuaded the first Trump administration from granting a pardon to Ulbricht. The White House considered exonerating Ulbricht in 2020, but ultimately rejected the idea because of the alleged role of violence in the case, according to one former government official involved in the trial who spoke to WIRED on condition of anonymity.
Since then, however, the Trump administration has changed its stance on Ulbricht’s case—perhaps in part because it has embraced the libertarian cryptocurrency community for which Ulbricht has become a martyr and a celebration. At the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, DC, last May, then-presidential candidate Trump promised to commute Ulbricht’s sentence “on day one” if re-elected. (Ultimately, Ulbricht’s first day passed without mercy, even though Trump pardoned more than a thousand participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising at the U.S. Capitol, although Trump ally Elon Musk promised in a post for X Monday night that “Ross will also be exonerated.)
Just what role Ulbricht will play in the free world is far from clear. Even in his testimony before a judge at his sentencing in 2015, Ulbricht never fully acknowledged the harm caused by the Silk Road drug trade. And according to Jared Der-Yeghiayan, a former Homeland Security Investigations agent who infiltrated Silk Road during the investigation, Ulbricht still shows little remorse for his actions in his public contributions to X.
“The idea of him being fired doesn’t bother me in the least,” says Der-Yeghiayan, who now works as head of strategic intelligence at cryptocurrency tracker Chainalysis. “It bothers me that now he seems to have done no wrong; it does not recognize the facts of the case.”
However, among some advocates of criminal justice reform, Ulbricht has become an example of excessive punishment, especially given that he was technically charged with non-violent crimes. “Ross has served more than enough time. He was a model prisoner. He is a first time non-violent offender. “He poses zero safety risks to the community,” Alice Johnson, CEO of the justice reform foundation Taking Action for Good, told WIRED in November. Johnson herself spent two decades in prison for attempted possession with intent to distribute before Trump commuted her life sentence in 2018 and pardoned her in 2020. “I believe Ross’s case will pave the way for many others who have been wrongfully awarded it. draconian sentences to return home.’
On Tuesday night, Ulbricht’s supporters celebrated his freedom and expressed gratitude to Trump for his pardon. “Words cannot express how grateful we are,” read a tweet from @Free_Ross, the X account dedicated to more than a decade of efforts on behalf of Ulbricht. “President Trump keeps his word and just saved Ross’ life. ROSS IS A FREE MAN!!!!!”
More news from Joel Khalili
