US EditionUlbricht Donation of 300 BTC Linked to Dubious Origin
- Ross Ulbricht was recently gifted 300 bitcoins, valued at approximately $31 million, by an unidentified individual connected to AlphaBay, a defunct dark web marketplace.
- The funds did not originate from Ulbricht or the Silk Road but appear to have emerged from AlphaBay, which operated from 2014 to 2017 and sold drugs and cybercriminal goods.
- Blockchain analysis by Chainalysis and independent investigator ZachXBT connected the donation to addresses flagged for illicit activity and noted use of mixers and small distributed cash-outs to avoid detection.
- Phil Larratt, director of investigations at Chainalysis, indicated that the evidence points to the funds having come from AlphaBay, implying the donor was likely a vendor with access to large amounts on the platform.
- Ulbricht’s pardon by Donald Trump in January preceded the donation, and the mysterious transaction implies continued links between darknet wealth and Ulbricht despite the uncertain donor identity and motives.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Ross Ulbricht Got a $31 Million Donation From a Dark Web Dealer, Crypto Tracers Suspect
Crypto-tracing firm Chainalysis says the mysterious 300-bitcoin donation to the pardoned Silk Road creator appears to have come from someone associated with a different defunct black market: AlphaBay.
CryptoPotato
Crypto News Wire - Latest Crypto News And Analysis$31M Bitcoin Donation to Ross Ulbricht Traced to AlphaBay, Not Silk Road
Ross Ulbricht, the imprisoned founder of the Silk Road darknet marketplace who was granted clemency by US President Donald Trump earlier this year, received a whopping $31 million Bitcoin donation from an anonymous wallet over the previous weekend. The sizable gift, sent less than five months after Ulbricht’s sentence was commuted, immediately sparked speculation that he had covertly reclaimed old Silk Road earnings. Anonymous Bitcoin Gift to Ro…
There are stories that we bury with trials, maximum security prisons and forgotten headlines. Then there is the bitcoin, this red thread that we never really cut. In June 2025, a transaction of 300 BTC, the equivalent of 31 million dollars, falls into the pool of Ross Ulbricht, creator of Silk Road, this legendary black market of the darknet. The hiccup? This manne comes from a portfolio linked to AlphaBay, his infamous successor. The past did n…
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