Ross Ulbricht

Extracted Attributes

• Award

  Eagle Scout

• Education

  BS in Physics (University of Texas at Dallas, 2006), MS in Materials Science and Engineering (Pennsylvania State University, 2009)

• Full Name

  Ross William Ulbricht

• Pseudonyms

  Dread Pirate Roberts, Frosty, Altoid

• Notable Work

  Silk Road (darknet marketplace)

• Date of Birth

  1984-03-27

• Place of Birth

  Austin, Texas, United States

• Criminal Status

  Pardoned by Donald Trump on January 21, 2025

• Forfeiture Amount

  $183,961,921

Timeline

• Ross William Ulbricht is born in Austin, Texas. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1984-03-27

• Graduates from the University of Texas at Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in physics. (Source: Web search)

  2006

• Graduates from Pennsylvania State University with a Master of Science in materials science and engineering. (Source: Web search)

  2009

• Launches and begins operating Silk Road, an anonymous darknet marketplace. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2011

• Arrested by the FBI in a San Francisco public library, and Silk Road is taken offline. (Source: Web search)

  2013-10-01

• Convicted of multiple federal charges, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, and sentenced to two life sentences plus 40 years without parole. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2015

• Appeals his conviction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which is unsuccessful. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2017

• Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is unsuccessful. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2018

• Receives a full and unconditional pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump and is released from prison. (Source: Web search)

  2025-01-21

Ross Ulbricht

Ross William Ulbricht (; born March 27, 1984) is an American cybercriminal who created and operated Silk Road, the first modern darknet market, from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. Silk Road was an online marketplace that facilitated the trade in narcotics and other illegal products and services. Sales were anonymous, using bitcoin. It operated as a hidden service on the Tor network. Ulbricht ran the site under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts" after the fictional character from The Princess Bride. In October 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Ulbricht and took Silk Road offline. In 2015, he was convicted of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, distributing narcotics by means of the internet, conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to traffic fraudulent identity documents, and conspiracy to commit computer hacking. He was sentenced to two life sentences plus 40 years without the possibility of parole, to be served concurrently. Evidence that Ulbricht had commissioned murder-for-hire deals for at least five people was considered at his sentencing hearing, though he was not charged with this crime. Ulbricht's appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2017 and the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 were unsuccessful. After serving 11 years, he was released from prison in January 2025, when he received a full and unconditional pardon from U.S. president Donald Trump.

Web Search Results

• Ross Ulbricht - Wikipedia

  Ross William Ulbricht (/ˈʊlbrɪkt/; born March 27, 1984) is an American cybercriminal who created and operated Silk Road "Silk Road (marketplace)"), the first modern darknet market, from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. Silk Road was an online marketplace that facilitated the trade in narcotics and other illegal products and services. Sales were anonymous, using bitcoin. It operated as a hidden service on the Tor network "Tor (network)"). Ulbricht ran the site under the pseudonym "Dread Pirate Roberts" after the fictional character from The Princess Bride "The Princess Bride (novel)"). [...] | Ross Ulbricht | | Ulbricht in 2025 | | Born | Ross William Ulbricht (1984-03-27) March 27, 1984 (age 42) Austin, Texas, U.S. | | Other names | Dread Pirate Roberts, Frosty, Altoid | | Alma mater | University of Texas at Dallas (BS) Pennsylvania State University (MS) | | Occupation | Darknet market operator | | Known for | Founder of Silk Road "Silk Road (marketplace)") | | Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole | | Criminal status | Pardoned by Donald Trump on January 21, 2025 | | Spouse | Caroline | [...] Ulbricht attended the University of Texas at Dallas on a full academic scholarship and graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in physics. Ulbricht received an additional scholarship to attend Pennsylvania State University, where he was in a master's degree program in materials science and engineering and studied crystallography. By the time Ulbricht graduated from his master's degree program, he had become interested in libertarian economic theory and adhered to the political philosophy of Ludwig von Mises, supported Ron Paul, promoted agorism, and participated in college debates to discuss his economic views. Ulbricht graduated from Penn State in 2009 and returned to Austin. He tried day trading and started a video game company, but neither venture succeeded. He eventually partnered

• 12 years ago Ross Ulbricht was captured and imprisoned for his role in creating The Silk Road website and given two life sentences plus 40years for non-violent crimes : r/CryptoCurrency

  # 12 years ago Ross Ulbricht was captured and imprisoned for his role in creating The Silk Road website and given two life sentences plus 40years for non-violent crimes 🟢 LEGACY fbi.gov Open Ross William Ulbricht, born in 1984, created and operated the illegal darknet marketplace Silk Road from 2011 until his arrest in 2013. The site facilitated the anonymous trade of narcotics and other illegal goods using Bitcoin on the Tor network. He was arrested on October 1, 2013, convicted in 2015 of multiple charges, and sentenced to double life in prison plus 40 years. After appeals failed, he was released in January 2025 following a full pardon from President Donald Trump. Archived post. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Share [...] # 12 years ago Ross Ulbricht was captured and imprisoned for his role in creating The Silk Road website and given two life sentences plus 40years for non-violent crimes : r/CryptoCurrency Skip to main content12 years ago Ross Ulbricht was captured and imprisoned for his role in creating The Silk Road website and given two life sentences plus 40years for non-violent crimes : r/CryptoCurrency Open menu Open navigation[]( to Reddit Home r/CryptoCurrency Sign UpSign up for RedditLog InLog in to Reddit Expand user menu Open settings menu Image 1 Go to CryptoCurrency r/CryptoCurrency•8mo ago CriticalCobraz Image 2: Profile Badge for the Achievement Top 1% PosterTop 1% Poster [...] Reddit Rules Privacy Policy User Agreement Your Privacy Choices Accessibility Reddit, Inc. © 2026. All rights reserved. Expand Navigation Collapse Navigation       RESOURCES About Reddit Advertise Developer Platform Reddit Pro BETA Help Blog Careers Press Best of Reddit Reddit Rules Privacy Policy User Agreement Your Privacy Choices Accessibility Reddit, Inc. © 2026. All rights reserved. Image 5

• Archived: Ross Ulbricht, aka Dread Pirate Roberts, sentenced to life in federal prison for creating, operating ‘Silk Road’ website | ICE

  Media Inquiries ## Breadcrumb Share Archived Content In an effort to keep ICE.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated. This information is archived and not reflective of current practice. # Ross Ulbricht, aka Dread Pirate Roberts, sentenced to life in federal prison for creating, operating ‘Silk Road’ website NEW YORK CITY — Ross Ulbricht, aka “Dread Pirate Roberts,” was sentenced Friday in federal court to life in prison in connection with his operation and ownership of Silk Road, a hidden website designed to enable its users to buy and sell illegal drugs and other unlawful goods and services anonymously and beyond the reach of law enforcement between January 2011 and October 2013. [...] Ulbricht, 31, of San Francisco, California, was convicted of the following seven offenses after a four-week jury trial: distributing narcotics, distributing narcotics by means of the Internet, conspiring to distribute narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, conspiring to traffic in false identity documents, and conspiring to commit money laundering. In addition to the life sentence prison term, Ulbricht was ordered to forfeit $183,961,921. [...] Using the online moniker “Dread Pirate Roberts,” or “DPR,” Ulbricht controlled and oversaw every aspect of Silk Road, and managed a staff of paid, online administrators and computer programmers who assisted with the day-to-day operation of the site. Through his ownership and operation of Silk Road, Ulbricht reaped commissions worth more than $13 million generated from the illicit sales conducted through the site. Ulbricht also demonstrated a willingness to use violence to protect his criminal enterprise and the anonymity of its users, soliciting six murders-for-hire in connection with operating the site, although there is no evidence that these murders were actually carried out.

• What We Know About Ross Ulbricht, Or 'Dread Pirate Roberts' : All Tech Considered : NPR

  NPR logo NPR Music NPR Music All Tech Considered ## All Tech Considered ### Society # What We Know About Ross Ulbricht, Or 'Dread Pirate Roberts' By Elise Hu The FBI alleges Ross Ulbricht ran the vast underground drug marketplace Silk Road for more than two years. Google + hide caption The FBI alleges Ross Ulbricht ran the vast underground drug marketplace Silk Road for more than two years. When federal agents made their bust of Silk Road, the Internet's largest and most sophisticated underground illicit goods market, they unmasked its mastermind and owner, who went by the alias "Dread Pirate Roberts." According to the FBI, he is a 29-year-old Texan named Ross Ulbricht. [...] Ulbricht, like Paul, is a big fan of the Austrian school of economics and its father, Ludwig von Mises. Ulbricht also discussed a decentralized "hypothetical" marketplace on his LinkedIn page, which in retrospect, sounds a lot like Silk Road: "The most widespread and systemic use of force is amongst institutions and governments, so this is my current point of effort. The best way to change a government is to change the minds of the governed, however. To that end, I am creating an economic simulation to give people a first-hand experience of what it would be like to live in a world without the systemic use of force." He wanted to make a "positive impact on humanity." [...] Before becoming an "investment adviser and entrepreneur" (as he described himself on LinkedIn), Ulbricht was a smart and drifty college kid with libertarian leanings. But, court documents allege, within the last couple of years, he became a stone-cold business owner doing a billion-plus dollars in illicit sales and willing to hire assassins to kill a rival who threatened his customers' anonymity and his revenues. The bust up of Silk Road is too interesting a story to resist, complete with illicit drugs, the hidden Web and hired hit men. So it's no surprise journalists have seized upon it with fervor. Here's a roundup of what we know about Ulbricht: He's charged with serious federal crimes in two states.

• Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

  # Trump pardons Silk Road dark web market creator Ross Ulbricht Free Ross Ulbricht Ross Ulbricht, with hair blowing in the wind, pictured in front of a large tree trunk US President Donald Trump says he has signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, who operated Silk Road, the dark web marketplace where illegal drugs were sold. Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 in New York in a narcotics and money-laundering conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison. Trump championed Ulbricht's cause, joining libertarians who said the conviction was an example of government overreach. On Tuesday, he said he had called Ulbricht's mother to inform her that he had granted a pardon to her son. [...] Silk Road, which was shut down in 2013 after police arrested Ulbricht, sold illegal drugs using Bitcoin, as well as hacking equipment and stolen passports. Ulbricht was found guilty of charges including conspiracy to commit drug trafficking, money laundering and computer hacking. During his trial, prosecutors said Ulbricht's website, hosted on the hidden "dark web", sold more than $200m (£131m) worth of drugs anonymously. Prosecutors said he also solicited six murders-for-hire, including one against a former Silk Road employee, though they said no evidence existed that any killings were actually carried out. [...] Court documents from the FBI said the site had just under a million registered users, but investigators said they did not know how many were active. Ulbricht was arrested in a San Francisco public library in 2013 in an elaborate sting operation, while allegedly chatting online with someone he thought was a colleague but was in fact an undercover federal agent. Investigators had been through a painstaking process of piecing together the suspect's digital footprint. Sentencing Ulbricht - who has two college degrees - District Judge Katherine Forrest said he was "no better a person than any other drug dealer". She said the site had been his "carefully planned life's work".

• Award

  Eagle Scout

• Image

  

• Gender

  male

• Educated At

  Pennsylvania State University

• Instance Of

  Q5

• Occupation

  hacker

• Citizenship

  United States

• Date Of Birth

  3/27/1984

• Notable Work

  Silk Road

• Place Of Birth

  Austin