1/ 🚨 The wild story of Ross Ulbricht 🚨
From physics grad to darknet kingpin, and now, a free man pardoned by Donald Trump—let's dive into the tale of the Silk Road founder who shook the internet. 🧵👇
2/ 💻 In 2011, Ross launched Silk Road, the infamous darknet marketplace.
It was like Amazon, but for... drugs, fake passports, and hacking tools. Payment? Bitcoin. Because, why not stay anonymous? 🕶️
3/ Ross operated under the pseudonym Dread Pirate Roberts, inspired by The Princess Bride.
While the name was whimsical, the operations? Not so much. Silk Road facilitated over $200M in illegal transactions. 💰
4/ 🚔 The FBI wasn't amused. In 2013, Ross was arrested in a dramatic sting at a San Francisco library. Imagine typing away on your laptop, and boom—game over.
5/ Prosecutors didn't hold back:
Drug trafficking
Money laundering
Operating a criminal enterprise
They even claimed he arranged murders-for-hire (though no killings were proven). 😳
6/ The verdict? Double life imprisonment + 40 years, no parole.
Ross became a poster boy for debates around internet freedom, libertarianism, and justice reform.
7/ For nearly 12 years, Ross was locked away, while Bitcoin soared in value, and Silk Road became the stuff of internet legend. But on Jan 22, 2025, a plot twist:
8/ ✨ Donald Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht!
Trump called him a victim of "government weaponization" and granted him full and unconditional freedom. Talk about a comeback!
9/ Now, Ross’s story is one of controversy:
A genius caught in a web of his own making?
A scapegoat for others' actions?
A symbol of justice reform?
10/ What’s next for Ross? Only time will tell. One thing’s for sure:
The Silk Road might be gone, but its legacy—and Ross’s story—will live on. 🌐
What are your thoughts on this saga? Let’s discuss. 👇
#SilkRoad #RossUlbricht #Bitcoin #TrueCrime
