$31M Bitcoin Gift to Ross Ulbricht Linked to AlphaBay, Contrary to Silk Road Speculation

Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road darknet marketplace, received a $31 million Bitcoin donation from an anonymous source, leading to speculation that he was reclaiming old Silk Road earnings. However, Chainalysis, a cryptocurrency tracing firm, revealed that the funds originated from AlphaBay, a defunct darknet market, not Silk Road.

Independent blockchain investigator ZachXBT supported this conclusion, adding that the donation might be genuine but the funds were not legitimate. The sender of the donation appears to have taken steps to evade detection, cashing out other cryptocurrencies in small, spread-out amounts.

Chainalysis, known for its ability to map illicit activity across blockchain networks, played a key role in dismantling AlphaBay during a multinational law enforcement operation.