Ross Ulbricht Thanks Trump for Pardon: 'There's a Lot to Talk About'
Looking exhausted and relieved, the Silk Road founder said his release feels "amazing"—and that he now plans to spend time with his family.
Ross Ulbricht has thanked Donald Trump for giving him a full and unconditional pardon—and hinted that he plans to play a role in public life.
The 40-year-old founded Silk Road, a darknet marketplace where illegal drugs were bought and sold anonymously using Bitcoin.
It operated from 2011 to 2013, and Ulbricht was later handed two life sentences plus 40 years with no chance of parole for his role in running the marketplace.
In a video posted on Twitter, he said: "Thank you so much President Trump, for giving me this amazing blessing. I am so, so grateful to have my life back, to have my future back, to have this second chance."
More than 600,000 people had signed a Change.org petition asking for clemency given that Ulbricht was a first-time, non-violent offender. Bitcoiners had argued he embodied the cryptocurrency's core values.
"This is a victory, and it's your victory too," Ulbricht said. "This is an important moment for everybody, everywhere who loves freedom and who cares about second chances."
Looking exhausted and relieved, he said his release feels "amazing" and "overwhelming"—and that he now plans to spend time with his family "so that we can reunite, be whole again and heal."
Ulbricht added: "But there's a lot to talk about, and I look forward to re-engaging with the free world. Once I'm feeling up to it, we'll talk again."