Those murders-for-hire allegations, in fact, prevented the first Trump administration from granting clemency to Ulbricht. The White House considered in 2020 releasing Ulbricht but ultimately rejected the idea because of his alleged role in violence in the case, according to a former government official involved in the process who spoke to WIRED on condition of anonymity.

Since then, however, the Trump administration has shifted its stance on Ulbricht in the case—in part, perhaps, because of his embrace of the libertarian cryptocurrency community, for which Ulbricht has become a martyr and cause célèbre. At the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, DC, in May, presidential candidate Trump promised to commute Ulbricht’s sentence “on the first day” if re-elected. (Finally, a day passed without clemency for Ulbricht, though Trump pardoned more than a thousand participants on January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol, although Trump’s ally Elon Musk promised a post on X on Monday night’s “Ross will also be released.”)

What role Ulbricht will play in the free world is unclear. Even in his statement to the judge at his sentencing hearing in 2015, Ulbricht never fully acknowledged the damage done by the Silk Road drug trade. And according to Jared Der-Yeghiayan, a former Homeland Security Investigations agent who infiltrated Silk Road during the investigation, Ulbricht still showed little remorse for his actions in his public X posts.

“The idea of ​​him being released doesn’t bother me in the least,” said Der-Yeghiayan, who currently works as head of strategic intelligence at cryptocurrency tracking company Chainalysis. “It bothers me if there is a perception that he has done nothing wrong; without recognizing the facts of the case.”

Among some criminal justice reform advocates, however, Ulbricht has become an example of over-sentence, especially given that he was technically charged with non-violent crimes. “Ross has served more than enough time. He was a model prisoner. He is a first-time, non-violent offender. He does not pose a safety risk to the community,” Alice Johnson, CEO of the justice reform foundation Taking Action for Good, told WIRED in November. Johnson spent two decades in prison himself for attempted possession with intent to distribute before Trump commuted his sentence to life in 2018 and pardoned him in 2020. draconian repatriation sentences.”

On Tuesday night, Ulbricht’s supporters celebrated his release and expressed their gratitude to Trump for his kindness. “Words cannot express how grateful we are,” read a tweet from @Free_Ross, an X account dedicated to more than a decade of efforts for Ulbricht. “President Trump is a man of his word and he saved Ross’ life. ROSS IS A FREE MAN!!!!!”

Additional reporting by Joel Khalili