“Ross is going to be released.”
Those exact five words, shared by Elon Musk on his X account, caused the likelihood of a pardon for Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht to skyrocket to almost certain.
As indicated by a contract on Polymarket, the chances of Ulbricht receiving a pardon are now over 90%…
A plea for clemency for Ulbricht on freeross.org has amassed over 600,000 signatures since his imprisonment.
The petition has gained backing from those who argue that his life sentence is overly harsh and unjust, as well as from some bitcoin enthusiasts who uphold the libertarian values of Silk Road.
According to CoinDesk’s Sam Reynolds, Trump initially pledged to pardon Ulbricht during a campaign event at the Libertarian National Convention last May.
“If you vote for me, on Day 1, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht to a sentence of time served,” Trump stated in a speech last year.
“He’s already served 11 years, we’re gonna get him home.”
“On day one, I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht.”
— Trump pic.twitter.com/k9WV5i7lf5
— Alan ₿ Watts ⚡️ (@alanbwt) January 21, 2025
Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2015 for his involvement in operating the Silk Road marketplace, which was a pioneer in dark web usage.
Supporters of Ulbricht argue that his sentence was excessively lengthy for the crime committed.
Also listed on the Polymarket pardon roster is Roger Ver, an early bitcoin investor and advocate for bitcoin cash (BCH), who was charged with tax fraud in April, with the market predicting a 32% likelihood of a pardon within the first 100 days.
Despite cryptocurrency playing a significant role in Trump’s campaign, Polymarket bettors are only assigning a 43% chance of a crypto executive order, pertaining to the use, trade, or legal status of digital assets, occurring in the initial week.
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