CONCORD, NH – A press conference by the Free Ian Now campaign today highlighted the importance and urgency of incoming President Donald Trump to pardon Ross Ulbricht, Ian Freeman, and Roger Ver.
“President Trump, please do the right thing and pardon all three of these crypto-pioneers: Ian Freeman, Ross Ulbricht, and Roger Ver on Day One.” – Carla Gericke urged in the press conference.
The event emphasized the hypocrisy harbored by our government in these injustices. “How can you accuse Ian Freeman of ‘conspiracy to commit money laundering’ for running a BTC kiosk/atm, but no bank managers are being similarly accused and harassed? This type of selective enforcement is just another corrupt lawfare tactic that erodes public trust and undermines the rule of law,” said Free State Project President, Carla Gericke.
Speakers at the event highlighted the cases of Freeman, Ulbricht, and Ver, who have been at the forefront of financial innovation but faced significant political and government bias against cryptocurrency. “America was built on the ideals of freedom and innovation, and suppressing these qualities threatens the very foundation of our society,” stated Carla Gericke.
Former Maine State Senator and Executive Director of the Free State Project Eric Brakey stated, “When it comes to cryptocurrency, we have absolutely seen a regime of lawfare over these last 10 years targeting these individuals like Ross Ulbricht, Ian Freeman, and Roger Ver.” Going further by saying, “The war on Bitcoin is over and it is time for the political prisoners to be free.”
The press conference concluded with a final plea to President Trump, requesting his consideration to grant clemency to Freeman, Ulbricht, and Ver, emphasizing their roles as pioneers rather than criminals.
About Carla Gericke
Carla Gericke is the driving force behind NHExit, a bold movement advocating for New Hampshire’s peaceful secession from the United States. She also serves as President Emeritus of the Free State Project, a groundbreaking movement rallying more than 20,000 liberty-minded individuals to move to New Hampshire, concentrating their efforts on preserving and expanding personal and economic freedoms.
About Ian Freeman / Free Ian Now Campaign
New Hampshire-based Bitcoin pioneer and Free State Project participant, is currently serving a 9-year prison sentence after being convicted for operating a Bitcoin ATM allegedly used by scammers to defraud elderly individuals. Freeman’s supporters argue he is being punished for promoting financial freedom and challenging the status quo. The Free Ian Now campaign was a response to Ian Freeman’s wrongful conviction and spread awareness for injustices done to him and other similar cases.
Speech from Carla Gericke
Thank you for gathering here today. I stand before you to discuss the grave injustices of three crypto-pioneers: Ian Freeman, Ross Ulbricht, and Roger Ver..
Their cases exemplify how the state can deploy false narratives—the “Big Lie”—to tarnish reputations and suppress dissent.
These cases also highlight systemic problems in the federal justice system such as overcharging, over-sentencing, inconsistent enforcement, legal uncertainty, and the stifling of innovation—these LAWFARE tactics undermine the very principles upon which this great nation was founded.
Let’s talk briefly about the power of the Big Lie.
Throughout history, we’ve witnessed the state’s use of falsehoods to manipulate public perception. Consider the unfounded claims of weapons of mass destruction that led to the Iraq War, resulting in immense loss, death, destruction, and geopolitical instability.
More recently, we saw the dismissal by the media of the Hunter Biden laptop story, and the initial branding of the highly plausible COVID-19 lab leak theory as a “conspiracy”–showing how easily and quickly narratives can be constructed, dare I say MANUFACTURED, to serve particular agendas.
For example, in Ian Freeman’s case, the state dropped a press release right after his conviction labelling him a “fraudster” even though he was not convicted of this charge. This is purposeful, manufactured misinformation which the media then dutifully spreads simply because the government told you to…
Everyone knows Ian Freeman is a dedicated advocate for individual and financial freedom. Calling him a “fraudster” is a deliberate character assassination aimed to delegitimize his decades-long efforts to promote individual empowerment, including financial freedom through crypto-currencies.
The state’s actions against him, and Ross and Roger, reflect a broader strategy to stifle innovation and maintain control over all financial technologies.
Here’s the reality: If they can control your money, they can control you.
Now luckily, President Trump has already promised to pardon Ross Ulbricht, but he too was subject to the Big Lie…
Ross, we all know by now, was “Dread Pirate Roberts,” the creator of Silk Road. Back when he was arrested in 2011, they immediately accused him of heinous crimes, including murder-for-hire—charges that were never substantiated or formally brought. Yet, these unproven allegations were instrumental in securing a double life sentence without the chance of parole, just like the “lonely hearts testimony” we saw in Ian’s case that was used to garner an 8-year sentence–unheard of for the charges he was convicted of!
Overcharging by the DOJ in order to blackmail defendants into taking a plea deal destroys lives but it also sets a dangerous precedent and creates a silencing effect for future activists. And, of course, that is exactly the point.
Take Roger Ver’s case…
Roger, who, cmon, is so clean cut and nice he is known as “Bitcoin Jesus,” has faced relentless legal challenges and was labeled a “tax evader” years after he announced his US citizenship but just two weeks after he brought out a book Hijacking Bitcoin, which exposes state corruption and interference in the Bitcoin market. The timing of his persecution is not an accident. They want to silence “Bitcoin Jesus.” So, I guess he must be onto something!?
We all know overcharging and over-sentencing are totalitarian tools of suppression, but these dirty tactics don’t stop there–Did you know that the IRS raided Ver’s tax lawyers’ offices? No more “attorney-client privilege” for you, for some defendants??? This is the type of thing you’d hear happening in Communist countries and it is very Un-American.
In all three cases, the DOJ overcharging the defendants, together with their manufactured big lies, resulted in ultimate over-sentencing, which is how the state punished defendants for daring to take the case to trial rather than pleading out.
Let’s talk about crazy sentences: Ian Freeman got 8 years for “conspiracy to money launder,” Ross Ulbricht received two life sentences without the chance of parole for building a website, and Roger Ver is facing more than a hundred years if convicted.
Again, this reveals a disturbing pattern:
The State lies, then piles on excessive charges and seeks disproportionately harsh penalties. They do this to intimidate and silence the people challenging their unconstitutional actions.
Remember what they did to Aaron Schwartz? He created RSS feeds and co-founded Reddit. They overcharged him so much, as a 26 year old, he was facing 35 years in prison and he committed suicide. And that was actually 12 years ago this month.
This tactic of overcharging in order to over sentence in order to force defendants to take a plea, not only destroys individual lives it also serves as a chilling effect on others, as a warning not to challenge the status quo.
And, this lawfare gets even worse when you consider the inconsistent enforcement we see… the DOJ isn’t hauling the CEO of eBay in for questioning or putting the head of TD Bank in Super Max, instead, the state targets popular “outside the box” thinkers, individuals whose messages of peace and prosperity resonate with large audiences… those of us who recognize the state’s corruption and its core rottenness.
How can you accuse Ian Freeman of “conspiracy to commit money laundering” for running a BTC kiosk/atm, but no bank managers are being similarly accused and harassed? This type of selective enforcement is just another corrupt lawfare tactic that erodes public trust and undermines the rule of law.
The lack of clear regulatory guidelines creates an impossible environment for innovation…. Legal uncertainty deters entrepreneurs from pursuing innovative ventures and by targeting people like Ian, Ross, and Roger, the state stifles innovation across the entire crypto industry—a practice that runs counter to the American spirit of entrepreneurship and progress.
America was built on the ideas of freedom and innovation, and suppressing these qualities threatens the very foundation of our society. (Of course, that’s why I believe NH should secede– but that’s a different press conference!)
Mr. President, I stand here today to call for clemency.
You have personally experienced the weaponization of the legal system—lawfare—used to undermine and discredit.
The parallels between your experiences and those of Ian Freeman, Ross Ulbricht, and Roger Ver are striking. Each has faced disproportionate legal actions fueled by political motivations rather than genuine justice.
In light of these injustices, I urge you to exercise your presidential pardon power to rectify these wrongs.
You have already promised to pardon Ross Ulbricht, and I know Free Staters and Libertarians across the world are watching very closely to see that you keep your word. I know that you will.
In addition, granting presidential clemency and pardoning Free Stater Ian Freeman, and “Bitcoin Jesus,” Roger Ver would not only restore their lives and return them to their communities, but it would also send a resounding message to those in our government who misuse their power to persecute thought leaders, innovators, and dissenters.
In conclusion– the cases of Ian Freeman, Ross Ulbricht, and Roger Ver are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern where the state employs false narratives, overcharges, over sentences, inconsistent enforcement, and legal uncertainty to suppress anyone who challenges its authority.
All three of these men have stated how cryptocurrencies can help end wars and restore peace and prosperity to the world.
Who wants to stop this from happening? Those who get rich from wars, from printing and lending money, those who, in the end, choose to prosecute the brave heroes who stand against such exploitative practices.
We here today stand for truth, justice, transparency, free speech, innovation, and the principles upon which this nation was founded.
President Trump, please do the right thing and pardon all three of these crypto-pioneers: Ian Freeman, Ross Ulbricht and Roger Ver. Please do it on Day One.To sign the petition for Ian Freeman, please go to FREEIANNOW.ORG.
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