Donald Trump has granted a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht, founder of the defunct dark web marketplace known as Silk Road. Ulbricht has been in prison for 12 years.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated he had spoken with Ulbricht's mother and signed the full pardon for her son in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which had shown strong support for him.
Trump also criticized Ulbricht's sentence of 40 years plus two life sentences, calling it "ridiculous."
Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2015 for his involvement in Silk Road.
During his presidential campaign, Trump had promised to pardon Ulbricht on his first day in office if he won re-election.