Posted on 01/21/2025 4:07:34 PM PST by RandFan
RAND PAUL
KENTUCKY
United States Senate
WASHINGTON, DC 20510
January 21, 2025
The Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
Dear Mr. President:
I write to urge you to follow through on your stated intention to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht. Mr. Ulbricht is serving two life sentences plus forty years without parole for nonviolent offenses related to the website he launched in early 2011. Like so many others, I am shocked by the harsh sentence imposed on this first-time offender.
Mr. Ulbricht's sentence is vastly disproportionate to his crimes. He was condemned to spend the rest of his life in prison because he was held liable for the drugs and illegal goods bought and sold on his platform. Yet, the worst drug sellers on the site received significantly more lenient sentences. For example, Steven Sadler, who sold over a million dollars worth of drugs, was sentenced to five years in prison and four years of supervised release. Matthew Verran Jones, who was among the top five percent of drug sellers on the site, received a prison sentence of nearly six years. The single largest trafficker of drugs on the site, Cornelis Jan Slomp, received a ten-year sentence. Some of the most prolific drug sellers go free, but Mr. Ulbricht remains imprisoned. Federal prosecutors also alleged that Mr. Ulbricht was involved in a murder-for-hire scheme but later moved to drop those charges. The indictment was dismissed with prejudice by a U.S. District Court in 2018.
Today, Mr. Ulbricht is a model prisoner. Now a 40-year-old man who just spent his twelfth Christmas in federal prison, Mr. Ulbricht devotes much of his time helping his fellow prisoners by offering classes teaching math, science, and yoga, holding support groups for those coping with substance abuse, and conducting a meditation class to help with the experience of incarceration. Our criminal justice system should protect society from violent lawbreakers instead of filling our prisons with nonviolent offenders like Mr. Ulbricht. Throughout my tenure in the Senate, I worked with Republicans and Democrats to support over two dozen different pieces of legislation to help bring much needed improvement to our system. I believe Mr. Ulbricht's case is worthy of consideration of clemency because of the nonviolent nature of his offenses and his laudable behavior while incarcerated.
You have previously indicated that you would grant a full commutation of Mr. Ulbricht's sentence, and I respectfully request that you do so. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[signature]
Rand Paul, M.D.
United States Senate
Trump on truth social
I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross.
Sorry it’s a commutation not a pardon
But you get the idea
Wooo!!
HE THOUGHT HE PAID TO HAVE 5 PEOPLE MURDERED AND THEY WERE MURERED.
He facilitated a THOUSANDS OF TONS of narcotic movement
Randfan...you gonna write the letters of condolances to the families of all those that OD’s?
Or is that only proper when it’s someone we dont politically agree with?
Just curious
I don’t agree with this pardon but if it gets the libtardarians on the trump train i guess it’s worth it.
Specious argument he did no such thing
wake up
He got a full unconditional pardon by Trump a few min ago
Why is Rand Paul allowing himself to be pulled into this?
What is his connection with this virtual Spider-Web of alleged offenses on top of other alleged offenses?
“He facilitated a THOUSANDS OF TONS of narcotic movement”
Yeah, people are acting like he set just up a Shopify site, but he purposefully created an underground website and knew exactly what people were selling on it. He also tried to have people killed. He’s just as dangerous as the illegals bringing drugs across the border.
Bad move on Trump's part, IMO. Did he know this guys background and all he did? I'm guessing not. That's the problem.
you could say the government “facilitates the movement” of drug by building roads.
They went after his guy for not being a democrat, right?
The government refuses to allow the free flow of information.
They insist on access to all information transferred.
The free flow of information was the real “crime”.
Roads still have enforcement. This would be like the government creating a tunnel they knew would be used to transport drugs and harvested organs and then saying they would turn a blind eye.
Thats right and he’s apologized and has reformed
Does he deserve 40 years and no parole ?
I see the killing charge /nonsense your repeating is still prevalent.
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