On November 6, 2025, Keonne Rodriguez, the co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixer Samourai Wallet, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison for conspiring to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.
The case arose from a two-count indictment filed on February 14, 2024, which alleged that Rodriguez and co-defendant William Lonergan Hill developed, marketed and operated Samourai Wallet as an unlicensed cryptocurrency mixing service. Prosecutors said the business earned millions of dollars while laundering more than $100 million in proceeds linked to illegal dark web marketplaces.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to Count II, conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business, on July 29, 2025. Hill pleaded guilty to the same count the following day. As part of their plea agreements, both defendants consented to preliminary orders of forfeiture and a money judgment totalling $237,832,360.55, representing property involved in Count II, and agreed to make a combined payment of $6,367,139.69 to the United States before sentencing. Count I, conspiracy to commit money laundering, was dismissed as part of the plea deals.
At sentencing, the court ordered the forfeiture of Rodriguez’s right, title and interest in $6,367,139.69 in U.S. currency, as well as the domain samouraiwallet.com and the Samourai Wallet application listed on Google Play. In addition to the prison sentence, Rodriguez was fined $250,000.
Hill was sentenced on November 19, 2025.
The Story
Bill and Keonne aren’t faceless “crypto criminals” — they’re passionate software engineers with families, hobbies, and a deep commitment to digital privacy rights. Here’s a closer look:
William Lonergan Hill
A 67-year-old talented software developer with deep roots in New York, Bill co-founded Samourai Wallet after working with Keonne. He’s not just a coder; he’s an innovator who poured over a decade into creating non-custodial tools that empower users without controlling their funds. His passion highlights the human side of tech and an unrelenting passion for fundamental privacy rights.
Keonne Rodriguez
A 37-year-old American software developer from Florida, Keonne co-founded Samourai Wallet in 2015 to promote Bitcoin privacy. He’s a dedicated innovator who built tools used by everyday people to protect their financial data. As a family man, Keonne’s work stems from a belief in personal freedom—he’s fighting for a more private world for all of us.
In April 2024, two Bitcoin software developers, Keonne Rodriguez and William “Bill” Lonergan Hill, were violently arrested in their homes in a pre-dawn militarized raid by the FBI for running Samourai Wallet—a non-custodial Bitcoin wallet—despite no prior warnings and full compliance with the law as they and their advisors understood it.They spent the next year and a half in the crippling uncertainty of home arrest, fighting against an adversary with unlimited resources. Keonne was sentenced on November 6, 2025, to the maximum five years in prison, plus an additional fine of $250,000, plus three years of supervised release. Bill was sentenced to four years in prison on November 19, 2025. He will also be responsible for a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Both men are facing serious time in jail for writing code that supported the privacy and security of Bitcoin users.
“It’s like blaming Microsoft for drug cartels downloading and using Excel”
— REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH)
This case exemplifies DOJ overreach through a dangerous legal theory that criminalizes open-source code for legitimate privacy purposes. Developers should not be held liable for bad actors using their software.
The Pardon
The American President has the ability to issue pardons to convicted persons, and historically has done so to free Americans from unjust prison situations. Recently, Ross Ulbricht was pardoned after Bitcoiners highlighted the injustice. We are asking for a full pardon for Bill and Keonne. This new petition (launched November 11, 2025) is evidence that a large group demands justice—please sign and share to build momentum! Currently, it has only 1 signature—your voice can help it gain traction.
Sign the petition here: Stand Up for Freedom: Pardon the Innocent Coders
