Trump announces pardon of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht and life sentence

President Trump announced Tuesday night that he had granted a “full and unconditional” pardon to Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the notorious dark web site Silk Road.

Trump, 78, announced his grant of clemency, which was first reported earlier Tuesday by The Post, on Truth Social.

“I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright (sic) to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement who supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon for her son, Ross “, he wrote.

“The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics involved in the modern government weaponization against me. He got two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!”

A source close to the White House told The Post at noon Tuesday that an executive action to oust Ulbricht was “incoming.”

Trump, 78, had promised in May to reduce Ulbricht’s life sentence on drug-trafficking and money-laundering charges “down to time served” if he won the 2024 election.

Ulbricht was arrested in October 2013 in San Francisco and accused of running the infamous website — which sold drugs and other illegal products while accepting bitcoin as payment — under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.”

Now 40, Ulbricht was convicted in February 2015 on charges including drug trafficking and conspiracy to commit money laundering and computer hacking. He was sentenced that May to two life sentences plus 40 years.

Ulbricht had unsuccessfully appealed his conviction and sentence to the Supreme Court, leaving him to serve his time in a maximum security prison in Arizona.

On Tuesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) sent a letter to Trump asking him to show mercy.

“I am writing to urge you to follow through on your stated intention to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht. Mr. Ulbricht is serving two life sentences plus forty years without parole for non-violent offenses related to the website he launched in early 2011, ” read Paul’s letter.

“Like so many others, I am shocked by the harsh sentence handed down to this first-time offender.”

Paul argued that Ulbricht’s sentence is “grossly disproportionate to his crimes” since “the worst drug dealers on the site received significantly lighter sentences.”

Trump’s campaign promise pleased many Libertarians, who championed Ulbricht as a pioneer of free markets and held up “Free Ross” signs as Trump spoke at their national convention.

The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Post.