The president granted the unconditional release of the online drug impresario as a favor to libertarians and cryptocurrency partisans.

Ulbricht, who was convicted of running an anonymous online drug marketplace, became a hero to crypto-holders everywhere. What does his pardon signal for the future of the technology?

Ulbricht's story has long been a lightning rod for discussions around sentencing reform, the ethics of decentralized platforms, and the role of government in

The Silk Road founder could be one of the world's richest people if he gets his bitcoin back from the U.S government.

Ulbricht could already be sitting on millions in Bitcoin, according to Conor Grogan, a director at the San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. Grogan noted that around 430 BTC—worth approximately $47 million—awaits untouched in wallets possibly linked to Ulbricht. These wallets have been dormant for over 13 years, he said.

Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was given two life sentences in 2015, thanks President Donald Trump for giving him a "second chance" with unconditional pardon.

"Donald Trump is a man of his word," the Silk Road founder said in a video published on X hours after release from prison.

Bitcoiners celebrate as the pardon came hours after Senator Rand Paul sent a compelling letter to the White House.

Until, of course, in 2013 the Silk Road was shut down by FBI agents and Mr Ulbricht, then 29 years old, was arrested in the science-fiction section of a San Francisco public library. In 2015, after a four-week trial,

President Donald Trump has pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of darknet market Silk Road, fulfilling a campaign promise. Trump issued the order on Tuesday, the second day of his second administration.

Console Wars’ duo Jonah Tulis and Blake J. Harris have conducted more than 60 hours of interviews with Ulbricht, who became a cause célèbre among libertarians and cryptocurrency enthusiasts after being handed two life sentences.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison for running an underground online marketplace where drug dealers and others conducted more than $200 million in illicit trade using bitcoin.