Crypto community fuels Ulbricht’s fresh start with millions in donations

Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht has received a transfer of 300 Bitcoins in donations, valued at approximately $31.4 million.

According to the blockchain analysis platform Lookonchain, the funds were sent to Ulbricht’s donation wallet just a few hours ago.

Crypto community fuels Ulbricht’s fresh start with millions in donations

The generous donation is another line of donations Ulbricht has seen since being released. Kraken, a cryptocurrency exchange, donated $111,111 in Bitcoin earlier this year to help him adjust to life outside prison.

Free Ross also claims to have received over $270,000 in cryptocurrency donations to help Ulbricht prepare for life after prison. Another address associated with Ulbricht collected $4,615 in Ethereum, USDC, Tether (USDT), and Binance Coin (BNB) in the same period.

On January 21, 2025, Donald Trump signed a full and unconditional pardon for Silk Road dissenter and operator after 11 years of a double life sentence without parole.

Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 in New York in a narcotics and money-laundering conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison.

Despite his release, questions have been raised as to the financial status of Ulbricht, as reports indicate he could hold access to inactive Bitcoin wallets associated with Silk Road, believed to contain approximately $47m.

Ulbricht has been in the news recently after attending the Bitcoin 2025 conference, where he thanked his staunch supporters for coming to his aid while behind bars. He stressed the need for solidarity in the crypto community, saying, “You didn’t leave me. You didn’t forget me. You wrote me letters. You raised money for my defense.”

Ulbricht sells some personal items to eliminate the reminders about his arrest

The founder of the infamous Silk Road darknet marketplace has also raised approximately $1.8 million in Bitcoin through an auction of personal items and artwork created during his incarceration.

The auction, hosted on the Bitcoin-powered collectibles platform Scarce City, featured 13 artifacts from Ulbricht’s life before and during his imprisonment.

Among the items auctioned were Ulbricht’s prison ID card, which fetched the highest bid, and an oil painting. Other notable pieces included his prison sneakers, sweatsuit, t-shirt, prison notebook, locker lock, and three ID cards.

Additionally, personal items from his life prior to arrest, such as a down sleeping bag, djembe drum, backpack, and a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes, were also sold.

“I’ve left Arizona, the state where I was in prison. It’s time to travel. That means downsizing and turning the page,” Ulbricht wrote in a message on the auction page.

He continued to say that he decided to auction some personal items from before his arrest and during his time in prison. He emphasized that he didn’t need the reminders and noted that some of his supporters would fancy them.

Ulbricht’s last prison ID card featuring the early Bitcoin devotee’s broad smile is fetching a winning bid of 11 BTC, now valued at more than $1.1 million.  

Concerning the broad smile on the ID card, he revealed on the item’s page that Ulbricht still smiled that day despite the guard’s effort to make him stop smiling for the photo. He says his joy comes from within, even though he was in prison.

The painting created by Ulbricht and “Omega,” the inmate who taught him oil painting, was another item for auction. Based on reports from sources, the painting took in a high bid of 1.01 BTC. 

The bidders are set to complete their payment by Monday because the bids are due on June 2. 

About the painting, Ulbricht said that he was so impressed by how the archway looked in a photo that he had to paint it. 

He expressed the feeling behind those paintings. According to Ulbricht, the painting made him feel as if he was walking through the archway, as if something amazing was waiting on the other side.

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