Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

US President Donald Trump says he has signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who operated Silk Road, the deep web marketplace where illegal drugs were sold.

Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 in New York in a narcotics and money laundering conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he had called Ulbricht’s mother to inform her that he had granted a pardon to her son.

Silk Road, which was shut down in 2013 after police arrested Ulbricht, sold illegal drugs using the virtual currency Bitcoin, as well as hacking equipment and stolen passports.

“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me,” Trump said in his post online. “He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”