Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Will Be Pardoned

President Donald Trump, now in office, faces high expectations to fulfill his campaign promises—one of which is the release of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht. During the Bitcoin 2024 conference in July last year, Trump pledged to commute Ulbricht’s life sentence if elected president. Elon Musk has now voiced his support for this cause, suggesting that the time has come.

Ross Ulbricht to be Released Today or Tomorrow?

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk responded to a meme urging Trump to “pardon Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht,” stating confidently that “Ross will be freed too.”

Ross will be freed too

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 21, 2025

Bitwise CEO echoed Musk’s sentiment, saying, “Ross Ulbricht to be freed. We’ve entered a new era of freedom for Bitcoin and crypto in America.”

The crypto community has been vocal about making Ulbricht’s pardon a priority for Trump’s administration. Dennis Porter, co-founder of the Satoshi Act Fund, shared a similar sentiment by reposting the statement: “Donald Trump needs to do what he said and #FreeRoss on day one, today.”

Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian National Committee (LNC), further fueled speculation, revealing that Ulbricht’s pardon is expected to happen “today or tomorrow.”

Pres. Trump’s staff just confirmed to me Ross’s pardon will be issued late tonight or tomorrow morning. ❤️

— Angela McArdle (@angela4LNCChair) January 21, 2025

Ross Ulbricht and The Darknet Silk Road Case

Ross William Ulbricht, known online as “Dread Pirate Roberts,” operated the darknet marketplace Silk Road. In 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole for facilitating illegal activities on the platform. Since his incarceration, Ulbricht has expressed deep regret for his actions and has focused on self-improvement through education and advocacy for his release.

The crypto community has consistently rallied behind Ulbricht, advocating for his freedom as a symbol of justice and reform. On the prediction platform Polymarket, bettors place a 94% chance on Trump following through with the pardon.