President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a pardon for Ross Ulbricht, ending the Silk Road founder’s more than decade-long imprisonment.

In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said he had granted Ulbricht a “full and unconditional pardon,” citing support from the Libertarian movement and criticizing the government’s handling of Ulbricht’s case.

From 2011 to 2013, Ulbricht operated the Silk Road marketplace, going by the nickname Dread Pirate Roberts.

Prosecutors said the site served over 100,000 buyers, facilitating illegal drug sales and laundering hundreds of millions of dollars. According to the FBI, the Silk Road made $13 million in Bitcoin through commissions.

Ulbricht was arrested by the FBI on October 1, 2013, in San Francisco.  Now 40, Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 on charges including conspiracy to traffic narcotics and money laundering in connection with the Silk Road.

He received a sentence of two life terms plus 40 years without parole, sparking years of debate over the fairness of his punishment. In his post, Trump labeled Ross’ sentence as “ridicul

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Author: Sebastian Sinclair,Jason Nelson