Prosecutors Push Samourai Wallet Case Despite Controversies
Date: 2025-05-12 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: BUSINESS
In April 2024, Keonn Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, the creators of the anonymous crypto wallet Samourai Wallet, were arrested on suspicion of helping to launder more than $100 million in criminal proceeds. According to law enforcement, the service has processed nearly $2 billion in anonymous transfers since its launch in 2015.
Rodriguez was released on $1 million bail in April 2024, secured by Pennsylvania property and family guarantees. He denied all charges, including operating an unlicensed financial business and money laundering. Hill was also released in July on $2 million bail, with $200,000 of that in cash and the rest secured by his family home.
Defense attorneys pointed out that Samourai Wallet was listed on Google Play as early as 2015, which they said showed no wrongdoing. They cited FinCEN's position that non-custodial, peer-to-peer wallets are not regulated as money services providers.
The defense said the developers had been operating openly for nearly a decade without any government agency questioning their activities. They also drew a parallel to Apple's prosecution of cybercriminals using MacBooks, calling it a similar legal absurdity.
The attorneys also said prosecutors withheld correspondence with FinCEN from August 2023, in which the regulator confirmed that Samourai Wallet did not require a license. The information was disclosed only in April 2025 after a special request, which, according to the defense, can be regarded as an attempt to conceal evidence.
Against this background, lawyers demanded that the case be dismissed, citing a directive from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to suspend cases against non-custodial wallets and crypto mixers. However, the court has not yet made a final decision.
In response, the Department of Justice rejected the accusations of concealing data, stating that it had transferred all relevant materials several months before the start of the hearing. The department also emphasized that the case concerns not only the lack of a license, but also money laundering, and this aspect will remain in force regardless of the legal status of the wallet.
It should be noted that the court previously prohibited OFAC from imposing repeated sanctions against Tornado Cash, another well-known anonymous crypto service.
