Crypto crime lord Ross Ulbricht gets a pardon—but his fortune is gone after the U.S. auctioned off his Bitcoins in 2014 for just $334 each.

The article discusses Ross Ulbricht's recent pardon from President Trump after serving nearly 12 years in federal prison for operating the Silk Road, an online drug marketplace. Although Ulbricht's life sentence has been commuted, he lost nearly $184 million in bitcoins due to a court-ordered forfeiture, with the U.S. Marshals selling over 144,000 bitcoins at a significantly lower value than their current worth of around $14 billion. Despite the challenges posed by the forfeiture, Ulbricht has maintained a social media presence and generated income through art and NFTs, positioning him for potential future opportunities in speaking engagements and media adaptations of his story. The article also notes the complexities surrounding the legal implications of his pardon in relation to the forfeited assets. [Extracted from the article]