Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange, announced on X that it had sent a payment to the newly liberated Ross Ulbricht to help the Silk Road founder get back on his feet.
The exchange transferred $111,111 in Bitcoin (BTC) and $102,366 to freeross.org, Ulbricht’s official website that allows users to support the inventor of the darknet marketplace.
According to Mempool’s Bitcoin blockchain explorer, 93 donations have already been made through the page as of this writing, totaling 2.5 BTC ($261,000).
Dear Ross,
All of us at Kraken want to make sure that after what you've been through, you're able to land on your feet with the support of the community that loves you most, the ₿itcoin community.
That's why we've donated $111,111 in $BTC to YOU
-Kraken pic.twitter.com/SCnZety71W
— Kraken Exchange (@krakenfx) January 22, 2025
On his second day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump fulfilled a campaign promise made to libertarians and the crypto community by granting a full pardon to Ross Ulbricht. Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road darknet marketplace, had served 12 years in prison following his October 2013 arrest. He was sentenced to double life imprisonment without parole plus 40 years—a punishment widely criticized as excessive for nonviolent crimes.
