Trump says he will commute sentence of Austin man who founded 'Silk Road' if elected

AUSTIN (KXAN) — During Saturday’s Libertarian National Convention, Former President Donald Trump spoke about his plans to commute "Silk Road" website operator Ross Ulbricht's life sentence if he gets elected.

Ulbricht, who is from Austin and a 2002 Westlake High School graduate, created the online drug-selling site.

“If you vote for me, on day one I will commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht," Trump said during his speech, adding: “We’re going to get him (Ulbricht) home.”

Ulbricht operated the site from 2011 until his 2013 arrest.

Prosecutors said he collected $18 million in bitcoin through commissions on drug sales on the website with thousands of listings under categories like "Cannabis," "Psychedelics" and "Stimulants."

They said he brokered more than one million drug deals worth more than $183 million while he operated on the site.

During his sentencing, a judge cited six deaths that resulted from drugs bought on his website and five people he tried to have killed.

Ulbricht was sentenced to life in federal prison in 2015.

According to NBC, many libertarians have called for Ulbricht’s release. At the convention on Saturday, the crowd was filled with “Free Ross” signs and took up chants in support of Ulbricht.