Bitcoin Jesus “Roger Ver” Asks For Forgiveness For Ross Ulbricht Of Silk Road

Roger Ver has been one of the biggest supporters of free-market paragons and cryptocurrencies.

Silk Road was at the intersection of both these phenomenons, and perhaps it might not come as a surprise to many that he is a supporter of Ross Ulbricht of Silk Road.

I sent a letter to Ross Ulbricht, and you should too. https://t.co/OXdqkjzu9B#FreeRoss #Silkroad pic.twitter.com/IGiwQtvIen

— Roger Ver (@rogerkver) February 17, 2019

Ross Ulbricht is serving a double life sentence + 40 years without parole for all non-violent charges associated with creating the Silk Road website. Passionate about privacy and free markets, he was 26 years old when he made the site. He had no prior record and no victim was named at trial.

Silk Road was an online marketplace with an emphasis on user privacy. Using the cryptocurrency Bitcoin on the Tor browser, people anonymously exchanged a variety of goods, both legal and illegal, including drugs.

In the sentencing letter to his judge, Ross wrote:

“Silk Road was supposed to be about giving people the freedom to make their own choices, to pursue their own happiness, however they individually saw fit. [It] turned out to be a naive and costly idea that I deeply regret.”

The issue with both Silk Road and Ross has divided the entire crypto ecosystem. Perhaps not surprising is the fact that Dr. Craig Wright condemned Ross and Wikileaks in one of his recent blog posts. He had written:

“I do not like Wikileaks, and I have never been a fan of Assange’s methods. More importantly, I am strongly opposed to criminal markets and bucket shops. Ross Ulbricht and others like him are criminals. They are not freedom fighters, they are not libertarians. They simply are predators, and they are all that Bitcoin was designed to make far more difficult.”

Ross is now serving his sixth year in prison and has paid a heavy price. He was an idealistic entrepreneur who never intended harm. He has expressed profound remorse, and if released tomorrow, he would never break the law again.

He still clasps to the hope of a second chance and dreams of a future where he can use his education, knowledge, and skills to contribute to his community and society.