President Trump is expected to pardon Ross Ulbricht, founder of the notorious dark web site Silk Road, The Washington Post has learned.
A source close to the White House told The Post that Ulbricht's pardon should come soon.
“We expect President Trump to grant clemency,” Ulbricht's attorney, Brandon Sample, told The Washington Post in an email Tuesday.
The 78-year-old pledged in May to commute Ulbricht's life sentence on drug trafficking and money laundering charges “until time served” if he wins the 2024 election.
Ulbricht was arrested in October 2013 in San Francisco and accused of running the notorious site — which sold drugs and other illegal products while accepting bitcoin as payment — under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.”
Ulbricht, now 40, was convicted in February 2015 on charges including drug trafficking, conspiracy to commit money laundering and computer hacking. He was sentenced in May to life in prison, plus 40 years.
Ulbricht unsuccessfully appealed his conviction and sentence to the Supreme Court, leaving him to serve his time in a maximum security prison in Arizona.
Trump's campaign pledge pleased many liberals, who champion Ulbricht as a pioneer of free markets, and held up “Free Russia” signs as Trump spoke at their national convention.
Trump's team did not respond to the newspaper's inquiries.
This is a developing story. Please check back for more updates.
