Donald Trump's presidential pardons are already flowing, and while Tiger King's Joe Exotic is vexed that he's been glossed over again, thousands have had their crimes pardoned. These include the January 6 rioters, Washington D.C. police officers Andrew Zabavsky and Terence Sutton, and his latest move on January 23 saw 23 anti-abortion protestors pardoned. The biggest of all is undoubtedly Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the dark web marketplace known as Silk Road.
Ulbricht had been serving double life in prison plus 40 years without the possibility of parole since he was convicted in 2015, with crimes including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, distributing narcotics by means of the internet, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to traffic fraudulent identity documents, and conspiracy to commit computer hacking.
There has been a vocal campaign to free Ulbricht since he was first arrested by the FBI in 2013, and while on the campaign trail, Trump told 2024's Libertarian Party National Convention that he would pardon the Silk Road founder if he returned to power. Like his vows to clamp down on immigration and 'drill, baby, drill', President Trump wasted no time in commuting Ulbricht's sentence.
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Posting on X, Ulbricht thanked the POTUS in a lengthy speech. Reminding us how he was serving life without parole and had been locked up for over 11 years, Ulbricht said: "He let me out, I'm a free man now. So let it be known that Donald Trump is a man of his word.
"Thank you so much President Trump for giving me this amazing blessing."
Saying that he is 'so grateful' for his new-found freedom, Ulbricht adds that he has his life and future back: "This is such an important moment for me and for my whole family. It's an important moment for everybody who has been working for this for years. This is a victory, and it's your victory too."
He referred to it as an important moment for everybody who "loves freedom and cares about second chances."
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Ulbricht says he's going to be with his family for the foreseeable future but teased that he'll be telling his story at some point.
The former dark web mastermind concluded: "There's a lot to talk about and I look forward to reengaging with the free world...Once I'm feeling up to it, we'll talk again." If that doesn't sound like a podcast to rival The Joe Rogan Experience, nothing does.
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The replies were filled with those cheering Ulbricht's release, with one supporter writing: "You deserved your freedom. Making a simple website should not be a crime."
Someone else added: "The legend is back. Ask Trump for the BTC they stole from you next! You were wrongfully imprisoned for so long and they owe you compensation!"
Darknet Diaries' Jack Rhysider concluded: "When you're feeling up for it, I'd love to sit down with you for an interview. But get some rest, catch your breath, and let the reality sink in for a while. Enjoy yourself."
To be honest, we love the reply where someone simply said: "Ross, welcome home ❤️ you need to check out this game “Fortnite” when you get the chance. Would love to guide you through it sometime."