President Donald Trump says he will reconsider the case of Samurai Wallet co-founder Keon Rodriguez, as questions grow over the federal conviction of a Bitcoin privacy software developer.
When asked about Rodriguez’s future prison sentence, Trump said, “I’ve heard about it. I’ll look into it.”
“I don’t know anything about that,” Trump said. “But let’s take a look.”
Rodriguez publicly acknowledged Trump’s sentiments, tweeting, “Your continued noise is working. Thank you to everyone who pushed @realDonaldTrump to pardon Bill and I. Let’s cross the line. #pardonsamourai.”
Rodriguez, along with co-founder William “Bill” Hill, was found guilty of conspiracy to operate an unauthorized money transfer business. The charges stemmed from Samurai Wallet, a Bitcoin privacy tool that allows users to mix coins and maintain financial anonymity without relinquishing control of their funds.
Samurai wallet case details
The case, which began under the Biden administration and continued through the Trump Justice Department, ultimately resulted in five years in prison for Mr. Rodriguez and four years for Mr. Hill, although the sentences were reduced due to Mr. Hill’s age and recent diagnosis of autism.
Critics of the prosecution say the case sets a dangerous precedent for the cryptocurrency industry. The US Department of Justice alleged that Samourai Wallet facilitated more than $2 billion in illegal transactions and laundered more than $100 million from criminal sources. However, only the “unauthorized money transfer” charge survived the high-profile trial, raising questions about the strength of the lawsuit.
Samourai Wallet’s mixing services, Whirlpool and Ricochet, were designed to conceal the origin of criminal proceeds from activities such as drug trafficking, darknet markets, fraud, cybercrime, and murder-for-hire.
Court documents reveal that the developers described the service as “Bitcoin money laundering,” promoted the tool on darknet forums, and actively encouraged its criminal use.
The Justice Department characterized the incident as part of a broader crackdown on virtual currency mixing services. Rodriguez had asked for a lighter sentence, but the court imposed the statutory maximum of five years.
President Trump’s comments came amid campaign promises to protect self-custody rights and financial privacy. During the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, he pledged to end what he described as the previous administration’s “anti-cryptocurrency movement.”
The pardons for Mr. Rodriguez and Mr. Hill demonstrate a clear commitment to these promises and protect developers from legal exposure for building tools that enhance the privacy and security of ordinary Americans.
With Mr. Rodriguez scheduled to report to prison on Dec. 18 and Mr. Hill already sentenced, the Trump administration faces a high-profile decision that could shape the future of financial privacy, software development, and cryptocurrency regulation in the United States.
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