Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the Silk Road website that facilitated sales of drugs and fake documents, has spoken out about his release from prison after being pardoned by President Donald Trump.
"I was doing life without parole, and I was locked up for more than 11 years but [president Trump] let me out. I'm a free man now. So let it be known that Donald Trump is a man of his word," Ulbricht said.
"Thank you so much, President Trump, for giving me this amazing blessing. I am so, so grateful to have my life back, to have my future back, to have a second chance."
President Trump announced Tuesday that he has pardoned Ulbricht, calling his prison sentence "ridiculous."
In 2013, the FBI seized $28 million of bitcoin cryptocurrency from Ulbricht, which is now worth about $18 billion after years-long surge in value.
Ulbricht had been sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years for running one of the world's largest drug-selling websites.
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About the writer
Yevgeny Kuklychev AND Theo Burman
Yevgeny Kuklychev is Newsweek's London-based Senior Editor for Russia, Ukraine and Eastern Europe. He previously headed Newsweek's Misinformation Watch and ...
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