No Mercy For Samourai Wallet Developer: Keonne Rodriguez Sentenced To The Maximum
The co-founder of Samourai Wallet, Keonne Rodriguez, was given the utmost jail time this week after his responsible plea in a US federal case linked to instruments that allowed Bitcoin customers to try to hide their transactions.
According to courtroom filings, the sentence goals to shut a chapter that started with an indictment unsealed in April 2024.
Pleas And Sentencing Dates
According to courtroom paperwork, Rodriguez pleaded guilty in mid-2025 to working an unlicensed cash transmitting enterprise. The plea didn’t embody all counts inside the authentic indictment however did outcome within the scheduling of a sentencing listening to.
On November 6, 2025, a choose imposed the longest jail time period of 5 years sought by prosecutors for that rely. His co-founder, William Lonergan Hill, faces associated proceedings after being arrested abroad; extradition efforts are underway.
Defense: He lived in a $250,000 dwelling in Harmony, PA not like SBF. He’s an engineer. He’s a heat household man.
Keonne Rodriguez: I agree with what my counsel stated. My letter, I wished it to be private. I’ve been silent for 18 months. I wished to convey my story to you— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) November 6, 2025
Samourai Wallet: Allegations And Figures
According to the Department of Justice, Samourai Wallet and related companies processed roughly $2 billion in transactions that the federal government says included funds tied to criminal activity.
Prosecutors say that greater than $100 million of prison proceeds had been laundered via options permitting customers to combine or route cash by way of further hops.
The instruments on the heart of the case — referred to as Whirlpool and Ricochet — had been repeatedly talked about in filings as strategies that made tracing funds troublesome. The authorities additionally stated the founders marketed these options in methods they stated appealed to unhealthy actors.
Records present the cost of unlicensed money-transmitting enterprise carries as much as 5 years in jail. The federal probation workplace had steered a time period under that, recommending about 42 months, however prosecutors requested the courtroom to impose the complete five-year sentence.
Those figures had been primarily based on courtroom paperwork and public statements by the US Attorney’s Office within the Southern District of New York.
Charges Narrowed, Questions Remain
Reports have recognized that the defendants didn’t plead responsible to every of the counts within the authentic criticism, with the plea settlement leaving some counts unresolved.
That has left protection legal professionals and out of doors consultants specializing in what the case means for software program builders and privateness instruments that function within the cryptocurrency house.
Legal filings mirror a fancy mixture of prison allegations and regulatory questions, and in varied hearings, each events used technical and authorized arguments.
Legal And Community Reactions
The sentence has drawn sharp takes from completely different corners. Privacy advocates warn that prison penalties aimed toward builders might chill open-source work and set new limits on instruments utilized by odd individuals to guard their monetary privateness.
Featured picture from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
