Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon • Hacker News Board

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#441

Post by tomjen3 » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:15 AM UTC

zanek wrote: post #327

steve_avery wrote: post #55

Well, I think that justice has been served. The feds' prosecution of Ulbricht was the epitome of throwing the book at someone to make an example, when the government's case was pretty flawed, in my opinion. 10 years is enough time to pay the debt of running the silk road. I am glad that Ulbricht has been pardoned and I feel like a small iota of justice has been returned to the world with this action.

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills reading the comments on this thread. Multiple teenagers (one in Australia) died from the drugs distributed on Silk Road. Ross was ok with selling grenades, body parts, etc on there. But everyone is saying he served his time ???

People die when they take drugs all the time, whether brought online or not.

But the war on some drugs are a failure, but also impossible to change due to stupid people, so Silk Road and crypto was a means to work around this, while lowering crime and turning it into an iterated prisoners dilemma so that quality etc could stay high.

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#442

Post by insane_dreamer » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:16 AM UTC

t-writescode wrote: post #368

insane_dreamer wrote: post #348

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Madoff got 150 years for non-violent charges (and he didn't even try to have anyone killed). Died in prison.

It is wildly harmful and an escalation of monstrous practices to look at one or several unjust actions and/or sentences and declare that those who do worse than the person who was dealt out such a retribution should receive an even longer sentence. If someone gets 10 years for smoking weed, the solution is not to put someone in prison for 20 years for punching someone.

I wasn't implying that either Ulbricht or Madoff's sentences were unjust.

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#443

Post by andsoitis » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:18 AM UTC

Ross Ulbricht on X: https://x.com/realrossu

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#444

Post by metadat » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:25 AM UTC

I wonder if this action was executed at the suggestion of Mr. Musk?

It seems questionable Trump even understands or cares what Silk Road did or how it worked.

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#445

Post by isoprophlex » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:27 AM UTC

agentultra wrote: post #381

Is this president extremely concerned about drug dealers and gangs in the US? Why is he pardoning a drug trafficker?

To appease the broligarch technologists, who all enjoyed buying LSD with cryptocoins.

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#446

Post by outside415 » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:27 AM UTC

rappatic wrote: post #164

I think his original sentence was absolutely deserved—even though the charge of hiring a contract killer to assassinate his business competition may have been dropped, I think it's clear he did many things in the same vein. Even if you support his original pursuit of a free and open online marketplace, I think most people would agree he took it a bridge too far in the end. That said, I do think he absolutely deserved…

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Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#447

Post by outside415 » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:29 AM UTC

agentultra wrote: post #381

Is this president extremely concerned about drug dealers and gangs in the US? Why is he pardoning a drug trafficker?

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Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#448

Post by ec109685 » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:30 AM UTC

jyap wrote: post #360

rappatic wrote: post #164

I think his original sentence was absolutely deserved—even though the charge of hiring a contract killer to assassinate his business competition may have been dropped, I think it's clear he did many things in the same vein. Even if you support his original pursuit of a free and open online marketplace, I think most people would agree he took it a bridge too far in the end. That said, I do think he absolutely deserved…

His original sentence was life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. So you can’t agree with the original sentence and then say he “absolutely deserved to be released.” Without the chance of parole, a pardon from the president is one of the few ways he could get out of jail.

Commuting is the typical response for “he was totally guilty but sentenced too long”.

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#449

Post by DrFunke » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:31 AM UTC

I laundered money on The Silkroad (sent birthday cards filled with cash for bitcoin). It was a level of criminality I was fairly comfortable with. I do retain some fear that my door would be kicked in some day. Lawyers of HN, Am I in the clear now too? Ross tried to have a guy murdered, after all.

Re: Ross Ulbricht granted a full pardon

#450

Post by outside415 » Wed, Jan 22, 2025, 5:35 AM UTC

bloudermilk wrote: post #333

nostromo wrote: post #299

I think the attacks on some of these black and gray markets has increased violent crime in the real world. I wish the federal government would stop shutting them down and instead use them as tools to build cases against people breaking the law. For example, for a while most prostitution and sex work seemed to be online, on places like Craigslist right next to ads for used furniture and jobs. And it seemed to be reall…

I don't think much changed, really. The contraband and services offered on these marketplaces has always been backed by criminal enterprises. Mostly the markets provided level of indirection that made purchasing palatable and gave a false sense of safety.

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