tl;dr
Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has donated $111,111 in Bitcoin to support Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht's reintegration after his incarceration. Coinbase's Conor Grogan has identified a long-dormant Bitcoin stash linked to Ulbricht, now valued at around $47 million. These developments follow Ulbri...
Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has donated $111,111 in Bitcoin to support Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht's reintegration after his incarceration. Meanwhile, Coinbase's Conor Grogan has identified a long-dormant Bitcoin stash linked to Ulbricht, now valued at around $47 million. These actions have sparked mixed reactions in the crypto community.
Kraken's donation reflects the Bitcoin community's support for pivotal figures, while Grogan's discovery adds a financial dimension to Ulbricht's second chance.
Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has made a significant gesture toward Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, donating $111,111 in Bitcoin (BTC) to support his reintegration after years of incarceration. Meanwhile, Coinbase’s Conor Grogan revealed identifying a Bitcoin stash linked to Ulbricht after over 13 years of dormancy.
The exchange revealed the donation via a post on Twitter, adding that it had set up a public address for additional contributions. With this, Kraken encouraged the Bitcoin community to rally behind Ulbricht.
Following Ulbricht's presidential pardon, and as BeInCrypto reported, crypto market participants are calling for clemency extended to Roger Ver, “Bitcoin Jesus.” Among them is Kraken co-founder and chair Jesse Powell, who also expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump for honoring his commitment to free Ulbricht.
In a parallel development, Conor Grogan made an interesting discovery. The Director of Product Strategy and Business Operations at Coinbase revealed that he had identified approximately 430 BTC across dozens of wallets associated with Ulbricht. This stash, untouched for over 13 years, is now valued at around $47 million.
The BTC, documented in court filings during Ulbricht’s trial, has remained dormant since his arrest. The news has sparked mixed reactions across social media.
These developments come at a time when Bitcoin’s ethos of decentralization and financial sovereignty is under scrutiny. Nevertheless, Kraken’s donation and Grogan’s revelations about the dormant BTC wallets add a financial dimension to Ulbichts’ second chance.