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Trump announced on Tuesday that he was granting a full and unconditional pardon to Ross William Ulbricht, founder of the notorious Silk Road darknet market. Ulbricht is serving a life sentence after being convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to commit computer hacking, conspiracy to traffic drugs, and conspiracy to engage in continuing criminal activity (commonly known as “kingpin charges”). However, his case was controversial not only because of the severity of his sentence but also because he was accused of participating in a murder-for-hire scheme, although he was never charged. Ulbricht, who founded Silk Road in 2011, runs the site as an anonymous online marketplace where users can trade in cryptocurrencies and buy and sell illegal goods, including drugs, forged documents and hacking services. In its heyday, Silk Road facilitated billions of dollars in transactions, attracted global attention and led to Ulbricht's arrest in 2013. Supporters have long argued that Ulbricht's sentence was too harsh, despite the Justice Department calling the platform “the most sophisticated and widespread criminal marketplace on the Internet.” Although prosecutors presented evidence during the trial that Ulbricht had instigated the murder of individuals who threatened his platform, including an alleged plot to kill a former Silk Road employee turned informant, he was never formally charged. Charged with murder for hire. The government maintains that it discovered messages and logs that showed Ulbricht paid a hitman, who turned out to be an undercover agent, to carry out the killings. However, these alleged plans did not result in physical violence, and his formal indictment made no mention of murder-for-hire claims. Critics argue that the allegations, while unproven in court, still played a role in justifying the judge's life sentence. In a statement to The Truth Society, Trump criticized the handling of the case, calling Ulbricht's life sentence “ridiculous” and accusing the legal system of overstepping its authority. “I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbricht to let her know that in honor of her and the liberal movement that so strongly supports me, I am pleased to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon for her son Ross,” Trump wrote. “This is a young man who was unfairly sentenced for something that should not have resulted in a life sentence,” Trump continued. He also expressed anger at investigators and prosecutors, viewing them as part of a broader problem of the “weaponization” of government that he has often spoken out against. The Silk Road case was a groundbreaking legal battle and one of the earliest examples of law enforcement cracking down on such conduct. Dark web market. But Ulbricht's supporters, including prominent liberals, have long argued that his punishment was disproportionate to his crimes. They also pointed to alleged misconduct during the investigation, including corruption among federal agents involved in the case. Like this: Like Loading… Discover more from Baller AlertSubscribe to get the latest posts delivered to your email.
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