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Project Overview
Samourai Wallet is a Bitcoin wallet that keeps transactions private and hides identities through a privacy-preserving service called “Whirlpool.”
Event-related news
Non-custodial developer criminal liability explicit protection removed, Coin Center says Roman Storm prosecution theory still not excluded
Bitcoin News posted on X platform stating that Coin Center says the latest revised BRCA text removes the provision that provided explicit criminal liability protection for developers who do not control user funds under 18 U.S.C. § 1960. The revised text would still protect developers who do not control user funds from being deemed money transmitters under the Bank Secrecy Act and FinCEN regulations, thereby significantly raising the difficulty of prosecuting developers solely for failing to obtain a money transmitter license or register with the federal government. However, the text cannot prevent prosecutors from arguing that developers knowingly transmitted funds derived from criminal activity, a theory that has become the core basis in the criminal cases against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm and Samourai Wallet developers. Coin Center believes that this compromise represents substantive progress on the regulatory front, but developers still face broader money transmission criminal prosecution theories from the U.S. Department of Justice; if the CLARITY Act passes with the revised BRCA, the related disputes will mainly shift to the courts.
Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Trapped in $2 Million Debt Crisis; Appeals Urgently to Community After Pardon Hopes Fade
According to CoinTelegraph, Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixing protocol Samourai Wallet, has issued an urgent public appeal for donations to the crypto community, stating that he has been “completely financially ruined” by prolonged legal proceedings—accumulating $2 million in legal fees and a $250,000 court-imposed fine—and is now “completely out of funds.” Rodriguez and his co-founder William Lonergan Hill were arrested in April 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Both pleaded guilty in July 2025 and were sentenced in November of the same year to five years and four years in federal prison, respectively. Rodriguez stated that his guilty plea was a reluctant, calculated decision aimed at avoiding even longer prison terms and significantly higher litigation costs. Regarding clemency, although former President Trump indicated he would review Rodriguez’s case—and over 15,000 people have already signed a petition urging clemency—Rodriguez candidly admitted that his chances of receiving a pardon are slim: “Unlike CZ or Ross Ulbricht, I am simply a federal prisoner with no money, power, or influence.”
Related news
Non-custodial developer criminal liability explicit protection removed, Coin Center says Roman Storm prosecution theory still not excluded
Bitcoin News posted on X platform stating that Coin Center says the latest revised BRCA text removes the provision that provided explicit criminal liability protection for developers who do not control user funds under 18 U.S.C. § 1960. The revised text would still protect developers who do not control user funds from being deemed money transmitters under the Bank Secrecy Act and FinCEN regulations, thereby significantly raising the difficulty of prosecuting developers solely for failing to obtain a money transmitter license or register with the federal government. However, the text cannot prevent prosecutors from arguing that developers knowingly transmitted funds derived from criminal activity, a theory that has become the core basis in the criminal cases against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm and Samourai Wallet developers. Coin Center believes that this compromise represents substantive progress on the regulatory front, but developers still face broader money transmission criminal prosecution theories from the U.S. Department of Justice; if the CLARITY Act passes with the revised BRCA, the related disputes will mainly shift to the courts.
Samourai Wallet Co-Founder Trapped in $2 Million Debt Crisis; Appeals Urgently to Community After Pardon Hopes Fade
According to CoinTelegraph, Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixing protocol Samourai Wallet, has issued an urgent public appeal for donations to the crypto community, stating that he has been “completely financially ruined” by prolonged legal proceedings—accumulating $2 million in legal fees and a $250,000 court-imposed fine—and is now “completely out of funds.” Rodriguez and his co-founder William Lonergan Hill were arrested in April 2024 on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business. Both pleaded guilty in July 2025 and were sentenced in November of the same year to five years and four years in federal prison, respectively. Rodriguez stated that his guilty plea was a reluctant, calculated decision aimed at avoiding even longer prison terms and significantly higher litigation costs. Regarding clemency, although former President Trump indicated he would review Rodriguez’s case—and over 15,000 people have already signed a petition urging clemency—Rodriguez candidly admitted that his chances of receiving a pardon are slim: “Unlike CZ or Ross Ulbricht, I am simply a federal prisoner with no money, power, or influence.”