US EditionCrypto Mixer News: Samourai Wallet Dev Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
Keonne Rodriguez pleaded guilty to unlicensed money transmitting and paid $6.3 million forfeiture before sentencing to five years, plus probation and a $250,000 fine.
- On November 6, 2025, District Judge Denise Cote sentenced Keonne Rodriguez, 37-year-old Samourai Wallet developer, to five years in prison in the Southern District of New York after his July guilty plea.
- Court filings show that Samourai Wallet's features Ricochet and Whirlpool and its social media marketing helped criminals launder proceeds from drug trafficking and darknet marketplaces, prosecutors said.
- Court documents and prosecutors noted a six-page escape plan at Keonne Rodriguez's home and District Judge Denise Cote said his letter left her with a 'troubling reaction' while prosecutors argued it ignored victims and encouraged criminals to use the wallet.
- As part of the ruling, District Judge Denise Cote imposed a $250,000 fine, three years supervised release, ordered forfeiture, 50% UNICOR earnings and 25% monthly wages garnished; prosecutors noted Rodriguez paid $6.3 million.
- The ruling follows recent prosecutions such as Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm's conviction earlier this year, while FinCEN told prosecutors Samourai likely did not qualify as an MSB due to its non-custodial design, and William Lonergan Hill's sentencing is scheduled for November 19.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Samourai Wallet Developer Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Unlicensed Money Transmitting
District Judge Denise Cote sentenced Keonne Rodriguez to the statutory maximum. Fellow developer William Lonergan Hill will be sentenced later this month. NEW YORK — Samourai Wallet developer Keonne Rodriguez was sentenced to five years in prison on Thursday for his role in creating a bitcoin mixing service that prosecutors say was used to launder $237 million in dirty money. District Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York (SDNY)…
One of the co-founders of the Samourai Wallet, a encryption mixer trading platform, was sentenced to five years in prison for using company operations to wash hundreds of millions of dollars from illegal transactions in the dark web and fraud schemes. Keonne Rodriguez was sentenced by the judge, Denise Cote, of the U.S. District Court, South New York District (Manhattan). The prison sentence was the maximum for conspiracy crime to operate a mone…
Crypto Mixer Founder Sentenced: Regulatory Crackdown Intensifies
The sentencing of Keonne Rodriguez, co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixer Samourai Wallet, to five years in prison marks a significant moment in the ongoing regulatory crackdown on crypto-related money laundering. This case underscores the U.S. government’s commitment to holding individuals accountable for facilitating illicit financial activities, even as the broader crypto industry faces a… Source
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