Samourai Wallet Dev Gets 5 Years in Prison—Can the Clarity Act Save Him?

Another crypto builder faces the hammer of US regulators—this time with a $250k fine and half a decade behind bars.

The question now: Will the Clarity Act's vague promises of 'regulatory fairness' actually help appeals, or is this just another case of 'innovate first, ask forgiveness never' in Washington's playbook?

Active verbs only: The DOJ slams another privacy tool, the defendant scrambles for lifelines, and the industry watches—knowing full well that 'legal clarity' often arrives fashionably late to the execution.

Bonus finance jab: Meanwhile, Wall Street's algo-trading dark pools (which move 10x more sketchy money daily) get fined less than a single branch's coffee budget.

Keonne Rodriguez, a 37-year-old developer of the Samourai Wallet, has been sentenced to five years in prison. Rodriguez was also fined $250,000 and is expected to forfeit $237 million tied to illegal activities as part of the plea deal.

Notably, he pleaded guilty in July 2025 to a conspiracy count for operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business through the Samourai Wallet. The prosecutor, however, dropped the money laundering charges as part of the plea deal. 

Furthermore, the Samourai Wallet allowed users to obscure Bitcoin transactions through mixing in a similar scheme to Tornado Cash. The judge also imposed a 3-year supervised release for the Samourai Wallet co-founder after serving his time.

What Next for the Samourai Wallet Co-founder after the Clarity Act

Rodriguez’s case was complicated after he pleaded guilty earlier this year. With the sentence issued by the Judge, a potential legislative relief may be void in a potential appeal case.

Notably, the Clarity Act, which seeks to give the wider crypto market clarity, has a clause that guides open-source web3 development. If the Clarity Act is passed with its current provisions, web3 developers cannot be held liable solely for publishing open-source code, running blockchain nodes, and providing self-custodial software.

However, the ongoing U.S. government shutdown has pushed further the timelines for the Clarity Act. As such, Rodriguez may not be eligible for legislative relief, especially since his charge dated back in 2015 violated existing laws.

Nevertheless, Rodriguez could seek an appeal to push for a sentence reduction, which is independent of legislative relief. Moreover, his lawyers suggested a sentence of 1 year and 1 day in prison.