President Donald Trump has expressed his intention to review the case of Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of Samourai Wallet, amidst growing concerns regarding the federal conviction of this Bitcoin privacy software developer.
When questioned about Rodriguez’s impending prison sentence, Trump commented, “I’ve heard about it. I’ll look at it.”
He further stated, “I don’t know anything about it. But we’ll take a look.”
Rodriguez publicly acknowledged the president’s remarks on social media, posting, “Your continued noise is working. Thank you to everyone pushing @realDonaldTrump to pardon Bill and me. Let’s get this over the line. #pardonsamourai.”
Critics of the prosecution contend that the case sets a troubling precedent for the cryptocurrency industry. The U.S. Department of Justice asserted that Samourai Wallet facilitated over $2 billion in illegal transactions and laundered more than $100 million from criminal sources. Nevertheless, only the charge of “unlicensed money transmission” was upheld during a high-profile trial, raising questions regarding the robustness of the prosecution’s case.
Samourai Wallet’s mixing services, Whirlpool and Ricochet, were specifically designed to obscure the origins of unlawful proceeds related to various illicit activities, including drug trafficking, darknet marketplace transactions, fraud, cybercrime, and murder-for-hire schemes.
Court documents suggest that the developers actively endorsed criminal usage, branding the service as “money laundering for bitcoin” and promoting its utilities on darknet forums.
The Department of Justice positioned the case as part of a wider initiative targeting crypto mixing services. Rodriguez had sought a lenient sentence; however, the court determined the statutory five-year maximum.
Trump’s remarks come in the context of his campaign commitments to uphold the right to self-custody and financial privacy. At the 2024 Bitcoin Conference held in Nashville, he vowed to terminate what he termed the “anti-crypto crusade” of the previous administration.
A pardon for Rodriguez and Hill would signify a definitive commitment to these promises, ensuring legal protection for developers engaged in creating tools that enhance privacy and security for everyday Americans.
With Rodriguez scheduled to report to prison on December 18 and Hill already sentenced, the Trump administration faces a pivotal decision that could influence the future of financial privacy, software development, and cryptocurrency regulation within the United States.
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