Ross Ulbricht, the controversial founder of the Silk Road darknet marketplace, made headlines on January 24, 2025, by tweeting for the first time in over 11 years. Freshly pardoned by President Donald Trump, Ulbricht expressed gratitude for second chances and thanked his supporters for standing by him throughout his incarceration.
In his post, Ulbricht wrote, “This is a victory for all of us. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and excited to rebuild my life.” He also directly thanked President Trump, who called his life sentence “ridiculous” before granting a full pardon.
Ulbricht, once known as the mastermind behind Silk Road—a darknet marketplace where illegal drugs and other goods were sold using Bitcoin—was arrested in 2013 and later convicted on multiple charges, including money laundering and hacking. His life sentence without parole became a symbol of controversy in debates surrounding justice and the future of cryptocurrency.
Meanwhile, a cryptocurrency associated with Ulbricht’s name, the ROSS token, has seen a notable price drop after riding a bullish wave for nearly three months. The token surged as high as $0.04243 on January 22, the day Ulbricht’s pardon was announced. However, following the excitement of the pardon, the token’s value has begun to decline.
Interestingly, Ulbricht has publicly distanced himself from the ROSS token. In previous tweets managed by his wife, he clarified that he had no involvement with or connection to the token.
As for Ulbricht’s financial ties to cryptocurrency, it’s reported that he held over 144,000 Bitcoin at the time of his arrest in 2013. The Bitcoin, valued at $184 million back then, was confiscated and sold in government auctions, raising $48 million. Today, those assets would be worth a staggering $14 billion.
With his newfound freedom, Ulbricht’s next steps are unclear. However, his return to the public eye has reignited debates about justice, the power of cryptocurrency, and the complexities of second chances in a digital age.
