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Last year on May 25, Donald Trump promised to reverse the sentence of early Bitcoin pioneer and Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht if elected president. As we all know, Trump won the election and takes office a week from today.
This leaves a big question on the minds of Bitcoiners: Will Trump actually pardon Ross?
I believe Trump will 100% stay true to his word and release Ross from prison. I have seen nothing to suggest that Trump would do anything else, and I have only seen things that make me confident that he will follow through on this promise. That should be relatively easy for Trump to do, and given his continued support of the Bitcoin industry, I’m sure Ross will soon walk a free man again.
Judging by Ross’ X account, which is currently run by his wife, he is preparing to leave prison soon.
“For my last monthly resolution in 2024, I intend to study every day and get up to speed as much as possible as I prepare for freedom,” she recently wrote on behalf of Ross.
For those who don’t know the story, Ross has been in prison since 2013 for creating a website, Silk Road, where users could buy and sell things that traded in bitcoin. He was a non-violent, first-time offender, sentenced to double life plus 40 years without parole. At Ross’s trial, he was not prosecuted for causing injury or bodily harm, and no victim was named. While Ross himself was not tried for selling drugs or illegal items, he was held responsible for what others listed on Silk Road, which included drugs.
Now, 12 years later, the time has come for Ross to be freed.
In 2022, Ross wrote President Biden a letter asking to be pardoned, explaining that he did not create the website with any ill intentions and was merely promoting the libertarian ideology he believed in. He also shared that if he was released, he would not do anything to “break the law” again.
President Biden ignored the letter and kept him in jail. And now President Trump has the chance to let him live the rest of his life a free man.
Ross himself also believes that Trump will keep his promise.
Huge gratitude to everyone who voted for President Trump on my behalf. I trust him to keep his promise and give me another chance.
After 11+ years in the dark, I can finally see the light of freedom at the end of the tunnel. Thank you very much, @realDonaldTrump 🙏
— Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) 12 November 2024
I can’t wait to see Ross come home.
This article is one Take. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.