Kraken announced on X that it has donated $111,111 in Bitcoin to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road darknet marketplace. The donation was sent to an address listed on freeross.org, a site Ulbricht’s supporters claim is his official platform for crowdfunding contributions.
Blockchain data from Mempool confirms that the address has already received 93 donations, amounting to 2.5 BTC (approximately $261,000). These contributions come just days after former U.S. President Donald Trump granted Ulbricht a full and unconditional pardon, a decision that fulfilled a promise made during Trump’s campaign. Ulbricht, who had spent 12 years in prison following his 2013 arrest, was serving a sentence of double life imprisonment plus 40 years for his role in creating Silk Road.
Trump’s decision to pardon Ulbricht has reignited debates about the fairness of the legal system’s treatment of early crypto pioneers. On his platform Truth Social, Trump called Ulbricht’s sentence “ridiculous” and expressed satisfaction with his decision to grant clemency. This development has not only reopened discussions about the legacy of the Silk Road but has also prompted speculation about the future of Bitcoin-related policies under Trump’s administration.
Conor Grogan, a director at Coinbase, added another layer to the story by revealing that Bitcoin wallets associated with Ulbricht, which were not seized by the government, currently hold approximately $47 million worth of BTC. While these funds were considered insignificant “dust” in 2013, their value has skyrocketed due to Bitcoin’s meteoric rise over the years. Grogan hinted that if Ulbricht still possesses the keys to these wallets, the cryptocurrency could soon be on the move.
The crypto community has largely celebrated both Ulbricht’s pardon and Kraken’s donation, seeing them as symbolic victories for the principles of decentralization and individual freedom. Many have taken to social media to praise President Trump’s apparent commitment to keeping promises made to the libertarian and crypto communities.
Additionally, Ulbricht’s story continues to captivate public interest, with a Hollywood documentary reportedly already in post-production. As discussions about Ulbricht’s legacy evolve, his release marks not just a personal milestone but a significant cultural moment for the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem.
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