Trump weighs possible clemency for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht

Trump aides are examining documents related to the Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht’s case, The Daily Beast reports, citing its own sources.

Two of these sources say that in private conversations the president expressed a certain sympathy toward Ulbricht and is considering his name, among others, for inclusion on the pardon list ahead of the upcoming January 20 inauguration of his Democratic challenger, the publication writes.

The Free Ross, the campaign leading the effort to secure Ulbricht’s release, had not issued an official statement at the time of publication; however, numerous commentators on its Twitter account warmly welcomed the news and urged Trump to “do the right thing.”

The Silk Road story: how Bitcoin brought the darknet economy to a new level

In 2015 the court found Ross Ulbricht guilty of drug trafficking through Silk Road, conspiracy to traffic illegal substances, hacking computer networks and money laundering, and running a criminal enterprise. In the same year the founder of the darknet market was sentenced to life imprisonment. Many, however, believe the investigation was corrupt and that many of the charges were rigged.

In 2019, venture capitalist Tim Draper urged Ulbricht’s release. In March 2020 a White House petition with a similar demand collected 275,000 signatures.

On November 3, the U.S. Department of Justice seized related to Silk Road 69,370 BTC.

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