Bitcoin Seized From Samourai Wallet Creators Allegedly Sold By US Marshall Service
In a current report by Bitcoin Magazine, it has come to mild that the US Marshals Service (USMS), working beneath the course of the US Department of Justice (DOJ), has allegedly offered Bitcoin (BTC) forfeited by defendants Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, creators of Samourai Wallet.
Controversial Bitcoin Sale
According to documents titled “Asset Liquidation Agreement,” which Bitcoin Magazine has obtained, the BTC forfeited by Rodriguez and Hill is both within the technique of being offered or has already been offered.
The doc signifies an settlement the place the defendants consented to relinquish Bitcoin valued at roughly $6.3 million, which amounted to little over 57 BTC on the time the settlement was finalized on November 3, 2025.
Interestingly, it seems that the Bitcoin transferred on November 3, 2025, didn’t enter the USMS’s custody instantly. Instead, the cryptocurrency appears to have been despatched straight to Coinbase Prime, possible for the aim of sale.
Potential Implications For Crypto Regulation
This resolution raises important authorized and moral questions, significantly relating to compliance with Executive Order 14233. This Order stipulates that BTC acquired by means of legal forfeiture—termed “Government BTC”—should not be offered and will as a substitute be allotted to the established Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
If the USMS has certainly offered the forfeited Bitcoin, it signifies that they proceeded at their very own discretion, probably ignoring the authorized mandate outlined within the Executive Order.
The Executive Order additionally specifies that “Government BTC” falls beneath the class of “Government Digital Assets,” and it mandates that company heads can not promote or in any other case dispose of those belongings besides beneath sure situations, none of which apply to the instances of Rodriguez or Hill.
With this controversy surrounding the sale of seized Bitcoin, the actions of the USMS may spark additional debate about how the federal government manages seized digital belongings.
BTC has risen nearer to $94,300 on the time of writing, representing a big 3% enhance within the final 24 hours and eight% enhance within the final seven days.
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