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One of the most controversial figures in Bitcoin history – Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road black market – will make his first public appearance after being pardoned by President Donald Trump, and speak at the Bitcoin Conference taking place in Las Vegas at the end of May.



🔓 From life imprisonment to the crypto festival: An ongoing story


#RossUlbricht announced on platform X (Twitter) on April 10 that he would attend the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas from May 27-29 – marking his first public appearance since being released.


This event comes after Ulbricht was granted a full and unconditional pardon by President Donald Trump earlier this January, ending a more than 11-year prison sentence he was serving with an original sentence of two life terms plus 40 years, without the possibility of parole.


The president $TRUMP called Ulbricht's sentence "absurd," and emphasized that this pardon decision came from strong support from the Libertarian community – who view the case as a symbol of excessive government punishment.



💻 Silk Road: The dark origins of crypto


Ulbricht operated Silk Road from 2011 to 2013 under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts" – a completely anonymous black market operating on the Tor browser.


Here, users could buy drugs, illicit substances, and many other illegal products using Bitcoin – making Silk Road one of the first real-world applications of cryptocurrency in peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions.


👉 According to FBI estimates, Silk Road generated $13 million in Bitcoin commissions for Ulbricht.



🚨 Arrested at the library, nearly 174,000 BTC seized


In 2013, Ross Ulbricht was arrested by the FBI at a library in San Francisco, marking the collapse of the Silk Road black market empire.


✅ At the same time, the FBI seized over 173,991 $BTC related to Silk Road – this amount of Bitcoin was worth more than $33 million at the time, but at current prices, this figure could rise to billions of dollars.



⚖️ A shocking and controversial verdict


In 2015, Ulbricht was convicted on a series of serious charges:



  • Drug trafficking,



  • Money laundering,



  • Computer hacking,



  • And suspected of hiring a hitman (although these charges were withdrawn before trial and there were no actual victims).



Mr. Preet Bharara, former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, called Ulbricht:



"A drug dealer profiting from the addiction of others, contributing to the deaths of at least six young people."



However, many in the crypto community and personal freedom movements (#Libertarian ) view Ulbricht as a pioneer using technology to challenge the centralized financial system, and see his sentence as excessively harsh and politically repressive.



🗣️ What will happen at the Bitcoin conference?


Ross Ulbricht's speech at a leading Bitcoin event – gathering thousands of investors, developers, and blockchain activists – will certainly spark controversy, but also attract significant attention.


🔍 Some supporters argue that:



  • He should be heard, as he has paid with more than a decade of his life,


  • Ulbricht could share insightful perspectives on privacy, financial freedom, and the potential of crypto.




❗ But on the other hand, the stain from Silk Road has not faded, and the public appearance could raise many ethical controversies within the crypto community.



🧩 Impact on the crypto community and Binance users


Ross Ulbricht's return will have a certain impact on:



  1. Community awareness of Bitcoin's past, especially in its early stages when the technology was associated with criminal activities.



  2. The debate between financial freedom and legal regulation will heat up again, as many want blockchain to serve transparency and legality, while others still fiercely defend the right to anonymity.



  3. Binance users – especially those concerned about privacy or DeFi – should follow the topics shared by Ulbricht, but also need to clearly distinguish between technology and illegal behavior.





🔻 Risk warning: The crypto market is increasingly being regulated, especially after shocking cases like Silk Road. Users should be cautious, comply with local laws, and only use reliable platforms like Binance to ensure legal and financial safety. This article is not investment advice. #anhbacong