Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the Bitcoin privacy wallet Samourai Wallet, is calling for a pardon from President Donald Trump, claiming that his conviction is a result of "Biden-era lawfare". Rodriguez and his co-founder, William Lonergan Hill, were convicted of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business related to their Samourai Wallet. Rodriguez received a five-year sentence, while Hill received four.
President Trump has stated that he will review a potential pardon for Rodriguez. During a recent Q&A session, Trump said he would "take a look" at the case and tasked Attorney General Pam Bondi with a thorough review. Rodriguez responded by expressing his gratitude for the attention and emphasized that Trump is aware of the Justice Department being weaponized against political opponents. He believes that if Trump closely examines their case, he would grant a pardon. Rodriguez is scheduled to report to prison on December 19th.
Samourai Wallet is a Bitcoin privacy tool that allowed users to mix coins and maintain financial anonymity. The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged that Samourai Wallet facilitated over $2 billion in unlawful transactions and laundered more than $100 million from criminal sources. Prosecutors argued that Rodriguez and Hill encouraged criminals to use their platform to conceal illicit funds, describing the service as "money laundering for bitcoin" and promoting its tools on darknet forums.
Critics of the prosecution argue that the case sets a dangerous precedent for the cryptocurrency industry. They claim the case represents an attack on financial privacy and software development. According to Rodriguez, a letter from FinCEN stated that Samourai did not qualify as a money transmitting business and didn't need a license. Following the conviction, Rodriguez stated that accepting the plea agreement was his only option, reducing a potential 25-year sentence to five years. In addition to their prison sentences, both Rodriguez and Hill were fined $250,000 each and ordered to pay over $6.3 million in forfeiture.
Trump has previously pardoned figures in the cryptocurrency space, including Ross Ulbricht, the creator of Silk Road, and former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao. A pardon for Rodriguez would further solidify Trump's stance on crypto, potentially countering the impression that his administration is against privacy. During the 2024 Bitcoin Conference, Trump pledged to end the "anti-crypto crusade" of the prior administration. A pardon for Rodriguez and Hill would signal a commitment to protecting developers from legal exposure for building tools that enhance privacy and security.
