US Prosecutors Seek Maximum Five-Year Prison Term for Samourai Wallet Founders
US prosecutors are pushing for the maximum five-year prison sentence for the founders of Samourai Wallet, accusing them of operating a crypto mixing service that facilitated the laundering of hundreds of millions in illicit funds. Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill pleaded guilty to running an unlicensed money-transmitting business, marking a significant escalation in the government's crackdown on privacy-focused crypto tools.
The sentencing memo filed in the Southern District of New York alleges the platform actively courted criminal users, with prosecutors claiming $237 million in illegal proceeds flowed through Samourai between 2015 and its April 2024 shutdown. This case represents one of the most aggressive legal actions against developers of financial privacy technologies to date.
