Claims that Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, might receive a pardon during Donald Trump’s first week in office surged to 95% probability on Polymarket, following comments made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk responded to a post from an X user, stating, “Ross will also be freed.” After Musk’s comment, the likelihood of Ulbricht’s pardon skyrocketed from 54% to 95%, leading to a total betting volume of $51,367 on the prediction platform.
Greater Chances of Pardon in the First 100 Days
In another Polymarket bet, the probability of Ulbricht receiving a pardon within Trump’s first 100 days of office is set at 97%. This prediction is backed by a betting volume that has reached $5 million.
Ulbricht was arrested in 2013 and sentenced in 2015 for creating and managing the Silk Road, a dark web platform facilitating illegal product transactions using Bitcoin 
$95,195. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Support for Ulbricht Grows Exponentially
A campaign launched on freeross.org has garnered over 600,000 signatures advocating for Ulbricht’s pardon. Supporters argue that his sentence is excessive and unjust. Additionally, some Bitcoin communities that believe in the libertarian ideals of Silk Road openly support Ulbricht.
Last year, Trump stated that if re-elected, he would consider reducing Ulbricht’s sentence on his first day in office. Ulbricht expressed gratitude for this statement via X but noted that no official announcement had been made. Furthermore, he issued a warning stating he has no connection to any cryptocurrency using his name.
Musk’s comments have stirred significant reactions within both Ulbricht’s supporter base and the cryptocurrency community. However, the lack of any official move from Trump continues to fuel speculation and uncertainty.
