During his electoral campaign, Donald Trump pledged to modify the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Road, in the event that he were to win the American presidential elections. The latter being officially president of the United States, will he respect his promise?
Last May, Donald Trump promised to commute Ross Ulbricht's sentence
This Wednesday, Donald Trump has officially been declared the big winner of the US presidential elections, gleaning a majority of voters.
During his campaign, the future present of the United States did not hesitate to make several promises in order to convince some of the 240 million American voters to vote for him.
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In order to attract the votes of libertarian voters, Donald Trump notably committed to modifying the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road on the occasion of his speech at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington:
If you vote for me, from day one, I will change Ross Ulbricht's sentence to a time-limited prison sentence. He's already served 11 years, we're going to bring him home.
Currently aged 40, Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted in 2015 for having founded and directed Silk Road.
Between 2011 and 2013, this marketplace present on the darknet was used to sell goods anonymously. However, this platform was mainly exploited for the establishment of drug and arms trafficking.
She was also known to allow its users to pay for their purchases in Bitcoin (BTC)making Silk Road, one of the first concrete use cases of BTC in the real world.
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The President of the United States can exercise his right of pardon under the Constitution
For his part, Ross Ulbricht commented on Donald Trump's remarks, seeing them as a real chance to taste freedom again :
Last night, Donald Trump pledged to commute my sentence on day 1, if reelected. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
After 11 years in prison, it is hard to express how I feel at this moment. It is thanks to your undying support that I can get a second chance.
— Ross Ulbricht (@RealRossU) May 26, 2024
Last night [le 26 mai 2024, NDLR]Donald Trump committed to commute my sentence from the first day if he were to be re-elected. THANKS. THANKS. THANKS. After 11 years in prison, it is difficult for me to express how I feel at the moment. It is thanks to your unwavering support that I may have a second chance.
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In the United States, thanks to Article 2 of the Constitution, the president does have the right to unlimited pardon for acts under federal law and federal crimes.
Ross Ulbricht's conviction falls well within the category of federal crimes, which leaves the possibility for Donald Trump, once inaugurated on January 20, to release the founder of Silk Road in the process.
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Surprised by the rise of crypto-assets at the end of the 2010s, I began to closely follow this sector which fascinates me to the greatest extent. When I'm not in football stadiums, rugby stadiums or handball halls, I work on writing relevant articles around cryptocurrencies and more broadly, Web3.
Zacharie Tazrout
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