- Ross Ulbricht raised 12 Bitcoin auctioning prison-era belongings.
- A 300 Bitcoin transfer to his wallet sparked speculation.
- He urged Bitcoiners to defend freedom, unity, and decentralisation.
Ross Ulbricht walked free in January after serving over 11 years of a life sentence. Four months later, he’s auctioning prison ID cards and receiving millions in Bitcoin.
A collection of personal and prison-era items, including Ulbricht’s prison IDs, a blank rehab program notebook, and oil paintings he created behind bars, brought in 12.3 Bitcoin, worth around $1.3 million at current prices.
The auction was hosted by Scarce City, a Bitcoin-based marketplace.
“I’ve left Arizona, the state where I was in prison,” Ulbricht wrote in a statement for the auction. “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 highest bid, 5.5 Bitcoin, went to Ulbricht’s final prison ID, issued just months before his release, after a guard allegedly demanded he update the photo.
“The guard tried to get me to stop smiling for the photo,” Ulbricht said, “but my joy comes from within, so I smiled that day, even though I was in prison.”
Another standout item was Archway, an oil painting Ulbricht made in collaboration with a fellow prisoner at USP Tucson. It sold for just over one Bitcoin.
Other lots included the sweatsuit and sneakers he was wearing when he left prison and other pre-arrest personal items like a backpack and djembe drum.
Mysterious donation
Shortly after the auction ended, a donation wallet linked to Ulbricht received a single 300 Bitcoin transaction, worth over $31 million.
This massive transfer followed months of smaller contributions. After Ulbricht was pardoned by President Donald Trump in January, supporters sent more than 2.6 Bitcoin in donations across over 170 transactions in a single day.
The $31 million transfer was flagged by Lookonchain, which linked to Arkham Intelligence data showing the funds landing in Ulbricht’s donation wallet.
Commenters in the tweet’s replies speculated that the transaction may not be a donation at all, but a self-transfer from wallets Ulbricht could have retained access to prior to his 2013 arrest.
Blockchain investigator ZachXBT noted the funds appear to originate from Jambler, a little-known centralised mixing service. He contrasted it with decentralised privacy tools like Wasabi and Samourai.
DL News contacted the Free Ross campaign for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
A free man
Ulbricht gave his first public speech as a free man at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Nashville on Thursday.
“Just a few months ago, I was trapped behind those prison walls and didn’t know if I would ever get out,” he told the crowd. “Now I’m free, and it’s because of you.”
Ulbricht described the experience of reentering society after more than a decade behind bars as disorienting and overwhelming.
He also emphasised the importance of holding onto core principles, singling out freedom, decentralisation, and unity as values he believes the crypto community must defend.
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email at kbaird@dlnews.com.
