Ross Ulbricht
Creator of Silk Road
- Known for
- Silk Road (2011–2013)[1]
- Years active
- 2011–2013[1]
- Key contribution
- Early high-profile bitcoin use case, and legal precedent[1]
- Notable date
- Jan 21, 2025: pardoned[3]
Photo: Ross Ulbricht speaking in Las Vegas by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.
No quote yet: we only publish quotes we can verify word for word against the original.
Bio
Ross Ulbricht created and operated Silk Road, an anonymous Tor marketplace that used bitcoin and facilitated trade in narcotics and other illegal goods, from 2011 until his arrest in October 2013. He used the name “Dread Pirate Roberts.”[1][2]
On Feb 4, 2015 he was convicted on all counts, including continuing criminal enterprise and narcotics distribution, and on May 29, 2015 he was sentenced to two life terms plus 40 years. Murder-for-hire allegations were considered at sentencing, though he was not charged with them at trial. His appeals failed.[1]
Two federal agents on the investigation were later convicted of crimes connected to it. After about 11 years in prison he received a full pardon on Jan 21, 2025.[1][3]
Timeline
2011
Silk Road launches[1]
October 2013
Arrested; site seized[2]
Feb 4, 2015
Convicted[1]
May 29, 2015
Sentenced[1]
Jan 21, 2025
Pardoned[3]
Connections
No sourced connection to the other people on this site yet. We only draw links we can document.
Elsewhere on CHC
- Timeline: Silk Road launches
- Timeline: Silk Road shut down; Ross Ulbricht arrested
- Timeline: Ulbricht convicted on all counts
- Timeline: Ulbricht sentenced to life in prison
- Timeline: Ross Ulbricht pardoned
- History: Growing pains
- History: Today
Sources
Checked Oct 15, 2026 · All people