Cointime

Cointime

Download App
iOS & Android

Ross Ulbricht to Speak at Bitcoin Conference in First Public Appearance Since Trump Pardon

Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, will make his first public appearance since his release from prison earlier this year, speaking at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas from May 27 to 29.

The news, announced by Ulbricht on X on April 10, follows a presidential pardon by Donald Trump in January that saw the end of his incarceration. 

Trump granted Ulbricht a “full and unconditional pardon,” citing support from the Libertarian movement and calling the sentence “ridiculous.”

From 2011 to 2013, Ulbricht operated the Silk Road marketplace under the alias “Dread Pirate Roberts.” 

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a pardon for Ross Ulbricht, ending the Silk Road founder’s more than decade-long imprisonment. In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump said he had granted Ulbricht a "full and unconditional pardon," citing support from the Libertarian movement and criticizing the government’s handling of Ulbricht’s case. From 2011 to 2013, Ulbricht operated the Silk Road marketplace, going by the nickname Dread Pirate Roberts. Prosecutors said the site served over...

Accessible only through the Tor browser, Silk Road offered everything from heroin and cocaine to high-grade cannabis, all purchased using Bitcoin and making it one of the first large-scale use cases for cryptocurrency. 

The FBI estimated the Silk Road generated $13 million in Bitcoin commissions.

In 2013, the FBI arrested Ulbricht in a San Francisco library. It also seized 173,991 Bitcoins, worth over $33 million at the time, in connection with the site.

Ulbricht spent over 11 years behind bars after being convicted in 2015 on a laundry list of charges related to the creation and running of Silk Road.

Among them were charges of narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and computer hacking. He received two life sentences plus 40 years with no chance of parole. 

Following President Donald Trump's pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht Tuesday, the Bitcoin community has rallied, pouring crypto into Ulbricht’s donation fund at FreeRoss.org. But does he need the money? 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 wall...

At the time, Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, branded Ulbricht “a drug dealer and criminal profiteer who exploited people’s addictions and contributed to the deaths of at least six young people.”

Federal prosecutors also alleged Ulbricht paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in murder-for-hire services targeting people threatening to reveal the workings behind Silk Road, although no killings actually occurred. 

The charges related to this were eventually dropped before trial.

However, his case became a cause célèbre in some Libertarian and crypto circles. Following his pardon, the Libertarian Party in the U.S. thanked Trump for honoring his pledge to release him.

Comments

All Comments

Recommended for you

  • Amazon Shares Surge 15.2%, Biggest Gain Since 2012

    On July 31, Amazon shares surged 15.2% to $271.255 per share, marking their biggest gain since 2012, with a total market value of $2.92 trillion.

  • US Treasury Secretary Bessent Vows to Track Down Iranian Assets Globally for Terror Victims

    US Treasury Secretary Bessent said the US will actively track down Iranian assets worldwide to ensure compensation funds for victims of Iran-backed terrorist activities. Bessent stated that the US government's military and economic blockade measures against the Iranian regime will continue and will not be relaxed. (Jinshi)

  • Apple Plunges Nearly 10%, Q4 Revenue Guidance Misses Expectations

    On July 31, Apple (AAPL.US) plunged nearly 10% to $300.33, marking its biggest drop since April 2025. In terms of fundamentals, Apple's third-fiscal-quarter revenue rose approximately 16% year-over-year to $109.42 billion, slightly above analyst expectations. Among the details, product revenue came in at $78.68 billion, beating the expected $77.25 billion. However, services revenue—a key driver of its valuation re-rating in recent years—totaled $30.74 billion, missing the consensus estimate of $31.36 billion. Additionally, Greater China revenue reached $18.82 billion, with year-over-year growth slowing to 22%, also below analysts' forecast of $19.58 billion. During the earnings call, Apple guided fourth-fiscal-quarter revenue growth in the range of 9% to 11%, overall below the 12.1% analysts had expected. CFO Parekh noted that component supply constraints would impact iPhone, Mac, and iPad businesses in the fourth fiscal quarter, with currency fluctuations also constraining growth.

  • Three Fed Officials Back Rate Hike, Hawkish Pressure Builds

    On July 31, three Federal Reserve policymakers said that dissenting votes in favor of a rate hike this week stemmed from stubborn inflationary pressures, highlighting rising internal pressure on Fed Chair Warsh to act. In statements released Friday morning, Hammack and Kashkari said they worry that although the current round of price increases may stem from short-term factors such as President Trump's tariff policies and the Iran war, the inflation situation already warrants Fed action. Logan also joined in, saying that even if inflation cools, if the Fed does not raise rates, inflation is unlikely to fully fall back to the Fed's 2% target; without any policy constraints, inflation could continue to run above target until an unexpected shock occurs. Kashkari said that if inflation remains persistently stubborn, he might support a series of rate hikes, not just a single increase, to prevent inflation from becoming further entrenched. He said: "A series of small policy adjustments may be preferable to waiting for developments to unfold and ultimately having to take more forceful action." Hammack said that if the Fed does not tighten policy, price increases could continue to accelerate. She said: "Inflation has been stubbornly above 2% for more than five years, and I have no confidence that it will return to our target on its own." (Jin Shi)

  • US 10-Year Treasury Yield Rises to 4.7388%, Highest Since January 2025

    On July 31, the US 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.7388%, the highest level since January 2025.

  • Spot Gold Intraday Decline Widens to 2%, at $4,021.08 per Ounce

    On July 31, spot gold's intraday decline widened to 2%, reported at $4,021.08 per ounce.

  • BTC Falls Below $63,000

    Market数据显示，BTC has fallen below $63,000, currently reported at $62,985.99, with a 24-hour decline of 2.99%. Market volatility is significant, please exercise risk control.

  • Fed's Logan: Leaning Toward 25 Basis Point Rate Hike

    On July 31, Federal Reserve Governor Logan said she leans toward a 25 basis point rate hike, believing inflation has not yet entered a sustainable path back to the Fed's 2% target. Logan stated that taking moderate action now would reduce the risk of needing more aggressive tightening in the future, while emphasizing that the Fed cannot rely on unexpected shocks to achieve its inflation target.

  • Fed's Logan: Taking Modest Actions Now Reduces Likelihood of Needing Stronger Action Later

    On July 31, Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan said that taking modest actions in the near term would reduce the likelihood of needing to take stronger action in the future.

  • Philadelphia Semiconductor Index Erases 5% Gain, Turns Lower

    On July 31, U.S. chip and semiconductor stocks rapidly weakened, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index wiping out a 5% gain and turning lower. Micron Technology, which had risen 6%, is now down 4.2%. SanDisk, which had gained nearly 10%, is now down over 6%. SK Hynix and Seagate Technology, which had risen over 8%, are now down 2%. TSMC, which had gained 4%, is now down nearly 1%.

Daily Must-Read

Popular Activities

RaveDAO at Terra Solis by Tomorrowland: A Female-Led Techno Night Where Web3 Culture Converges

RaveDAO at Terra Solis by Tomorrowland: A Female-Led Techno Night Where Web3 Culture Converges

April 30 - April 30
Dubai

Popular Tags

Cointime
News
Contents
RSS
Company