Silk Road Founder Now Extremely Rich Because of Recent Bitcoin Donation

Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road dark web marketplace, received a massive Bitcoin donation earlier today.

According to the data provided by analytics firm Lookonchain, he received a total of 300 coins ($31 million)

Some have also speculated that these are Silk Road-related coins that have now been laundered

Ulbricht was freed from prison in January after serving 12 years in jail. This was a major win for the pro-Bitcoin libertarian community, which has been lobbying for his release for years. Ulbricht was serving a double-life sentence

Earlier this week, Ross Ulbricht gave his first public speech at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas, which took place over the period from May 27 to May 29. "Ten years ago to the day, I was sentenced to die in prison. Instead I gave my first public speech in freedom," he said

Earlier this week, Ulbricht also auctioned some of his prison memorabilia with the help of the Scarce City marketplace. His prison ID sold for roughly $1.15 million

Ulbricht had 144,336 BTC (roughly $15 billion) at current prices confiscated by the U.S. government. The U.S. Marshals Service ended up auctioning off these coins, with venture capitalist Tim Draper famously buying 30,000 BTC