Shafaq News/ US President Donald Trump announced that he hadgranted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of theSilk Road dark web marketplace.
Ulbricht, who was convicted in 2015 for operating the site,had been serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The Silk Road, launched in 2011, allowed users toanonymously buy and sell illegal goods, including drugs, hacking tools, andstolen identities, using Bitcoin as its currency. The platform was notoriousfor facilitating transactions that totaled over $200 million. Silk Road hadnearly one million registered users before its shutdown in 2013.
Users accessed the site via the Tor browser for anonymityand conducted transactions using Bitcoin. The site operated on the dark web,hidden from standard search engines. Authorities shut down the website in 2013,leading to Ulbricht's arrest.
On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump defendedhis decision to grant the pardon, calling Ulbricht’s sentence “ridiculous.” Theformer president also criticized the prosecutors involved in the case, accusingthem of working against him. "The scum who worked to convict him are thesame fools who armed the government against me," Trump wrote.
Trump revealed that he had called Ulbricht’s mother toinform her of the decision. “It was time for justice to prevail,” Trump said.
Ulbricht’s arrest and subsequent trial were heavilypublicized, with federal prosecutors accusing him of operating a criminalempire that contributed to the proliferation of illegal drug sales and otherillicit activities on the dark web. His conviction included charges ofconspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering, and computer hacking.In addition, prosecutors alleged that Ulbricht solicited six murder-for-hireservices, although no evidence surfaced to suggest that any killings tookplace.
Judge Katherine Forrest, who sentenced Ulbricht, wasparticularly critical of his actions. She remarked that Ulbricht, despite hishigh education and technical skills, was "not much different from anyother drug dealer." Her statement underscored the gravity with which thecourt viewed his role in enabling the sale of illicit substances and services.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Trump pardons Silk Road operator: Ross Ulbricht set free )
Also on site :
- Metal Ions: The Next Frontier in Diabetes Management?
- Starmer to send failed asylum seekers abroad - a year after Rwanda scheme scrapped
- Saudi Arabia and US reach consensus on ending the war in Gaza