PakGazette – US President Donald Trump has granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road, an underground online marketplace known for its illicit trade. Ulbricht, 40, was serving a life sentence for facilitating more than $200 million in illegal transactions using bitcoin.
Ulbricht’s arrest in 2013 and subsequent sentencing in 2015 marked a major prosecution in the United States, coming just a few years after the arrival of the popular cryptocurrency. The Silk Road platform was a hotspot for drug traffickers and others involved in illegal activities.
The presidential pardon, announced Tuesday, fulfills a campaign promise made by the Republican president. In a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump criticized those involved in Ulbricht’s conviction. He referred to them as “the scum” and linked them to what he described as the “government’s modern weaponry” against him.
This pardon clears Ulbricht of his charges, making it complete and unconditional, according to President Trump’s statement.
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