United States President Donald Trump has officially commuted the sentence for Ross Ulbricht, according to his post on Truth Social.

Ulbricht is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for creating and operating Silk Road, a darknet market that facilitated the sale of narcotics and other illegal products and services. He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in October 2013 before being convicted in 2015 for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, distributing narcotics, conspiring to distribute narcotics, conspiring to commit money laundering, conspiring to traffic in false identity documents and other charges. The large-scale platform used bitcoin for transactions and helped to popularize the cryptocurrency's use. However, it also fueled critics' view of bitcoin's association with illegal activities in its early days.

Freeing Ross Ulbricht from incarceration has long been a priority for Bitcoiners who have petitioned for his sentence to be commuted for many years, considering it to be disproportionately harsh. Ulbricht’s vision for Silk Road was rooted in libertarian ideals of free markets and individual freedom, themes that resonate strongly within parts of the crypto community. After Silk Road's shutdown, U.S. authorities seized approximately 174,000 BTC from wallets associated with the platform, much of which has since been auctioned off by the U.S. government.

During his campaign, Trump said he would commute Ulbricht's sentence on his first day in office if re-elected, and while distinct from a full pardon, that pledge has now been fulfilled. A similar promise was made by presidential-hopeful-turned-Trump-ally Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“Last night, Donald Trump pledged to commute my sentence on day 1, if reelected," Ulbricht's X account said in May of last year, adding: "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. After 11 years in prison, it is hard to express how I feel at this moment. It is thanks to your undying support that I may get a second chance."

Following Trump's victory over Kamala Harris in November, OG bitcoiners, including Erik Voorhees, Michael Goldstein and Amir Taaki, were swift to remind the president-elect of the pledge, urging Ulbricht’s prompt release. “I owe everything to Ross Ulbricht. Crypto changed my life. Crypto became big because of him. He made the ultimate sacrifice. We all benefited from his work,” Taaki said.

The news comes as Trump also signed an executive order to create a bitcoin strategic reserve, fulfilling another of his key crypto-related election pledges, which also included appointing a more crypto-friendly Securities and Exchange Commission Chair, establishing a Crypto Presidential Advisory Council, repealing SAB 121, ending “Operation Choke Point 2.0” and turning the U.S. into a bitcoin mining “powerhouse.”

Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.

© 2024 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

免责声明：本文章仅代表作者个人观点，不代表本平台的立场和观点。本文章仅供信息分享，不构成对任何人的任何投资建议。用户与作者之间的任何争议，与本平台无关。如网页中刊载的文章或图片涉及侵权，请提供相关的权利证明和身份证明发送邮件到support@aicoin.com，本平台相关工作人员将会进行核查。