A ‘Free Ross’ billboard, demanding for the release of Ross Ulbritch, the founder of Silk Road darknet market, was spotted on Times Square on May 21. It appears the ‘FREE ROSS’ movement has leased a billboard in New York’s Times Square as they advocate for the liberation of Ross.
As per a tweet by ‘Clemency for Ross’ the billboard will display the movement’s communication and image for a couple of months. The Twitter account noted that the Times Square billboard was sponsored by “a generous supporter” and not from the site’s donations.
Free Ross billboard sponsored by “a generous supporter”
Ulbricht was given a double life sentence and is currently in his seventh year in prison. Only clemency can save him now. The 36-year-old was apprehended and incarcerated back in 2013 for initiating Silk Road darknet market that facilitated illicit trades through Bitcoin.
The illicit drugs and fake documents market operated for three years making sales amounting to $214 million before the FBI brought it down in 2013. Ulbricht was found guilty of multiple charges including money laundering, drug trafficking, criminal enterprise and others.
Ulbricht still influential behind bars
Even while in prison without access to the internet, Ulbricht has been actively contributing to the digital currency community through friends who share his articles on the internet. On Wednesday this week, his Medium account shared an article suggesting a solution to encrypted child pornographic content.
Ulbricht suggested a partnership with the authorities to coach the ‘ZKANN’ system to pinpoint child pornography; by use of seized media, before introducing the system to the world.
After the Silk Road founder was arrested back in 2013, a clemency petition was initiated arguing that his imprisonment was ‘rife with abuse.’ The petition will then be submitted to the United States president asking for a reduction in Ulbricht’s sentence when it gets 300,000 signatures. At press time, the petition has already garnered 291,177 signatures.