The latest donation amount far exceeds those Ulbricht received after his release. A wallet operated by the Free Ross campaign bagged $270,000 worth of Bitcoin within days after he was freed. The funds were donated to “help Ross’s transition into his new life.”
In a note on Scarce City, Ulbricht wrote:
“I’ve decided to auction some personal items from before my arrest and during my time in prison. I don’t need the reminders, and I’m sure some of you will love to have them.”
The personal items up for auction include a sleeping bag and backpack from before his arrest, prison ID cards, and paintings he created during his incarceration.
Ulbricht’s most recent prison ID card was sold for 5.5 BTC, worth over $580,000, after the winning bid of 11 BTC (worth approximately $1.1 million) was not paid.
According to the item’s description, Ulbricht had to have his ID reissued with a recent photo in 2024 after a prison guard threatened to suspend his visitation rights. Talking about the ID photo, which depicts Ulbricht smiling, he noted:
“The guard tried to get me to stop smiling for the photo, but my joy comes from within, so I smiled that day, even though I was in prison :)”
“I loved the look of this archway in a photograph so much, I had to paint it. It gave me the feeling that, if I could pass through it, something better would be on the other side.”
